Itaú agrees to buy NeoSpace for R$2.925 billion
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Itaú Unibanco has agreed to acquire all shares of Brazilian artificial intelligence startup NeoSpace for R$2.925 billion. Part of the amount will be paid when the transaction closes, with the remainder paid over five years under the contract’s conditions. The deal still requires prior approval from Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade) and the Central Bank.
According to Itaú, NeoSpace develops models that identify patterns in large volumes of information, with applications in credit, financial management, customer relationships and fraud prevention. The bank plans to combine the technology with its own data and financial-sector expertise, as well as accelerate development of its ia.i assistant. Itaú already owned 15% of the startup after investing US$15 million in January 2025. If the acquisition closes, NeoSpace is expected to continue operating autonomously, with Bruno Pierobon remaining CEO and the research and development team retained, the bank says.
Why it matters · editorial interpretation
The acquisition could give Itaú full control of models aimed at credit, financial management, customer relationships and fraud prevention, while accelerating ia.i, but it depends on regulatory approvals. NeoSpace’s continued autonomy and retained R&D team would preserve its specialized structure, according to the bank.
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