OREANDA-NEWS. March 29, 2012. BM&FBOVESPA announced today that it is broadening the scope of the Socio-Environmental Investment Exchange (BVSA) - a financing program for Brazilian NGO projects that provides an advanced donations platform at the www.bvsa.org.br portal, with differentiation in security and transparency.  From now on, the BVSA will include projects that focus on the eight Millennium Development Goals established by the United Nations (UN). The official presentation of these latest developments occurred at an event that had the participation of singer Daniela Mercury, who has been nominated as BVSA’s godmother.

BVSA enables registrations as of today of projects focused on the eight UN goals: eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; universal basic education; promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women; infant mortality reduction; improvements to maternal health; the combat of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; the guaranteeing of environmental sustainability; and the establishment of a global partnership for development.

Created in 2003, BVSA is a globally pioneering program from the Brazilian Exchange. It enjoys the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN recognition as a case study, and has inspired other Exchanges, such as Johannesburg (South Africa) and Lisbon (Portugal), which host similar structures.

With a similar format to a stock exchange, the BVSA makes a portfolio of rigorously selected projects available and provides a virtual environment for donations that is secure, practical and transparent. On the BM&FBOVESPA trading platform, an investor can buy stocks and become a partner in Brazilian companies. In the same manner, on the BVSA the “socio-environmental investor” can finance “socio-environmental actions” in non-governmental organizations across Brazil by making donations.

Individuals and companies can find out about the projects on the website, select those to which it will contribute – by theme, beneficiary public, or region of Brazil – and create a donations portfolio. Donations start from as low as BRL 20.00 and are made by credit card or bank payment slip. After the payment is made the progress and results of the projects - from fundraising to conclusion - can be monitored in reports that are drawn up by the BM&FBOVESPA Institute team and which are published on the portal.

Brazilian NGOs that have been legally incorporated for at least 3 (three) years and which have projects budgeted at BRL 30,000 to BRL 100,000 can register through the portal. After registration, the BVSA team will make technical assessment of the organizations that will pass through the second phase of the selection process. This assessment includes a visit to the project from an expert. In the final phase, a committee of BM&FBOVESPA Institute members and an independent professional in the sustainability area will analyze the experts’ technical findings, in order to decide which projects will be listed on the BVSA. Once they are approved, the projects are published on the BVSA portal. There is a one-year deadline to raise the funds stipulated for the development of the project.

BVSA shall pass along the raised funds in their entirety to the organizations, guaranteed by the Exchange and completely exempted from any fee or deduction. Since its creation, BVSA has raised BRL 23 million, destined to 119 projects. At present the portal has 16 projects ready to receive donations.