# Brazil May Buy $18bn of Unpaid Debt

> Brazil's government plans to buy up to $18bn of overdue personal debts at a 90% discount, part of a debt relief program.
- Title: Brazil May Buy $18bn of Unpaid Debt · The Rio Times | Shortify
- Summary: Brazil's government plans to buy up to $18bn of overdue personal debts at a 90% discount, part of a debt relief program. Brazil may purchase up to $17.9…
- Keywords: brazil, desenrola, debt, government, finance, minister, bolsenaro, lula, runoff, election, news, world
- Source: The Rio Times — https://riotimesonline.com/brazil-desenrola-3-debt-purchase-us-18-billion
- Author: Lucía Martínez
- Published: 2026-10-21T22:11:31+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: brazil, desenrola, debt, government, finance, minister, bolsenaro, lula, runoff, election, news, world
## Brazil's Debt Relief Plan
Brazil's government may buy up to R$90 billion (US$17.9 billion) of overdue personal debts from banks and funds.
## Discount and Cost Cap
At a 90% discount, the state would pay at most R$9 billion (US$1.8 billion) for the debt.
## Desenrola 3.0 Program
The program is part of Desenrola 3.0, the third round of a federal debt-relief initiative.
## Auction Timeline
Banks are asked on Thursday 22 October to state how much debt they would sell; the auction is planned for November or December.
## Eligible Debts
Debts under R$10,000 (US$1,990) each, overdue between two and 4.5 years, are covered by the program.
## Finance Minister's Statement
Finance Minister Dario Durigan said the government expects lenders to offer about R$90 billion in total debt.
## Political Context
Durigan criticized Flávio Bolsonaro's proposal to buy debts of defaulting Brazilians and refinance them through Caixa Econômica Federal.
## Impact on US Investors
US investors in Brazilian banks like Itaú and Nubank face uncertainty over how much debt will be sold and at what price.
## What's Unknown
Banks have not yet specified how much debt they will offer or the discount they will accept.
## Congress Approval Needed
The measure must be approved by Congress within 120 days to become law.
## Key takeaway

Brazil may purchase up to $17.9 billion in overdue personal debts at a 90% discount through its Desenrola 3.0 program.