Federal deputies Pastor Henrique Vieira (PSOL-RJ) and Rogério Correia (PT-MG) filed a formal request with the Central Bank of Brazil asking for detailed information about the operations of Clava Forte Bank S/A, a company associated with the Lagoinha Baptist Church. The announcement was made by ICL and confirmed by Infomoney.
The request seeks to clarify whether the company operates within the rules of the National Financial System or whether it carries out activities typical of financial institutions without due authorization.
In the document, parliamentarians question the legal nature of the company and whether it qualifies as a fintech, payment institution or another category regulated by the Central Bank. They also request that the BC inform whether there has been a formal request for authorization to operate as a bank, direct credit company (SCD), peer-to-peer loan company (SEP) or similar modality, in addition to the status of possible requests.
The application details a series of doubts about Clava Forte’s operations, including the existence of granting credit, offering loans, managing third-party resources and operating in segments such as investments, private pensions, insurance or consortiums.
Deputies also ask for information on the use of digital platforms or applications that allow customers to make financial transactions.
Another central point is the infrastructure used by the company. Parliamentarians want to know whether Clava Forte operates, directly or indirectly, through payment accounts, settlement arrangements or systems linked to institutions authorized by the Central Bank and, if so, what these partnerships would be and their terms.
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The request also includes questions about possible contractual, corporate or operational links between Clava Forte Bank and Banco Master or people linked to the institution.
The suspicion gained strength after the company’s website went offline on the same day that the arrest of Daniel Vorcaro, the bank’s controller, became public, an episode cited in the justification for the request as an additional warning factor.
In the justification sent to the Central Bank, the parliamentarians emphasize that, although Clava Forte declares in public records that it operates with software development and service intermediation, the adoption of the term “bank” and institutional communication may lead the public to believe that it is an authorized financial institution.
