FICO Platform Drives R$1B Digital Rural Credit in Brazil

Creating New Agriculture Finance Solutions

Bradesco, one of Latin America’s largest banks, is using FICO® Platform to revolutionize how rural credit is delivered in Brazil. Through the E-agro digital platform, built and run on FICO’s advanced decisioning capabilities, the bank has automated complex processes, improved credit access for over 500,000 farmers, and delivered over R$1 billion in funding within the first year.

Brazilian agribusiness plays a key role in the global food supply, with some estimates suggesting it helps feed around 10% of the world’s population. Bradesco’s investment in E-agro is not only a leap forward in financial technology but also a catalyst for economic and environmental resilience across rural Brazil.

“Farmers  play a very important role in Brazil’s economy, and technology is key to supporting their growth,” said Nadege Saad head of agribusiness at E-agro. “With FICO, we’ve built a digital offering that makes credit more accessible, approvals faster, and sustainable practices more viable. This is more than a financial innovation, it’s also a social and environmental one. By linking better credit access to sustainable practices, we’re not only protecting natural resources — we’re improving livelihoods and strengthening rural communities.”

Digitizing Credit. Empowering Farmers. Enabling Sustainability.

Bradesco launched the E-agro marketplace in 2023 to simplify access to rural credit, products, and services. Built on FICO Platform, the solution automates credit evaluation, document verification, and disbursement — removing friction from the lending process and eliminating the need for in-person visits. Small and medium-sized farmers can now apply, qualify, and receive credit entirely online, at the exact moment they need it.

Since launch, the platform has:

• Granted over R$1B (USD$197M) in credit with over R$500M in marketplace transactions

• Reduced contract lead times by 70%

• Completed 2,000+ complex credit transactions using FICO-powered decisioning

• Delivered Brazil’s first fully digital, government-subsidized rural credit solution

A Digital Platform Built for the Field

Traditionally, rural producers needed to visit branches, notaries, and multiple institutions to access credit, a time-consuming process incompatible with modern farming. With E-agro and FICO Platform, Bradesco has digitized the entire journey. Farmers can now check credit eligibility in real-time, receive tailored offers based on behavioral and agronomic data, submit socio-environmental documentation online, and digitally sign contracts, all from their mobile device or desktop. Once approved, funds are disbursed immediately into the client’s account, eliminating the need for any physical visits.

By integrating FICO Platform into the credit lifecycle, Bradesco reduced steps from dozens to just eight, making the process not only faster but fairer and more inclusive.

Driving ESG Impact Across Brazil

Beyond the E-agro offering, Bradesco’s ESG commitment extends to playing a supporting role in the ILPF (Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry) Network, a regenerative agriculture model that enhances biodiversity, improves soil quality, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Through partnerships like the Sustainable Agriculture Finance Facility (SAFF), Bradesco provides lower-cost credit for farmers adopting ILPF practices.

Bradesco is bringing new thinking and technology to banking in agribusiness. By using advanced decisioning to empower farmers and protect the environment, they’re creating lasting economic and ecological value.

For its achievements, Bradesco’s E-agro has won the ESG Champion category in the 2025 FICO® Decision Awards.

“Bradesco’s E-agro platform stood out to the judging panel as a powerful example of how digital innovation and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand,” said Allan Tan, group editor-in-chief at Cxociety and FICO Decision Awards judge. “It’s rare to see such a clear fusion of ESG commitment with operational transformation.”

To see the full list of 2025 FICO Decision Awards winners, check out: https://www.fico.com/en/fico-decisions-awards-2025

How FICO Support Ag Finance With Smarter Loan Decisions

Discover how FICO helps banks design tailored lending solutions that meet the unique needs of farmers, ranchers, and agricultural cooperatives—improving access to both short- and long-term farm loans, even in the face of challenges like climate change and natural disasters.

• Learn more about Digital Onboarding and Loan Originations. Explore how lenders can digitally onboard agricultural borrowers with speed and precision using automated decisioning, reducing friction while improving risk assessment and regulatory compliance.

• Explore how FICO Platform powers smarter lending. With FICO Platform, institutions can build scalable Agricultural Financing solutions that adapt to changing conditions, support inclusive growth, and deliver sustainable credit access to rural communities.