The federal government launches this Monday (4) a new stage of the Desenrola Brasil program, dubbed Desenrola 2.0, focusing on debt renegotiation and reducing the commitment of families’ income.
The initiative comes at a time when debt is reaching record levels and is putting pressure on both consumption and the government’s assessment, on the eve of the October elections.
Data from the Central Bank show that 29.7% of family income is committed to paying debts, the highest level since the beginning of the historical series, in 2005. At the same time, around 117 million Brazilians had some type of debt with financial institutions at the end of 2024.
The new version of the program prioritizes more expensive debts, such as credit cards, special checks, non-payroll personal loans and Fies contracts. The proposal provides for interest limited to 1.99% per month and discounts that can vary from 30% to 90% on the total amount due, depending on the length of delay.
One of the main changes compared to the previous edition is the possibility of using FGTS resources to reduce part of the debt. The worker may authorize the use of up to 20% of the balance, with a direct transfer from Caixa Econômica Federal to the creditor bank. The operation will be intermediated by financial institutions.
The program must serve people with an income of up to five minimum wages, with outstanding debts between 90 days and two years. The expectation is that renegotiations will take place directly at banks, without the need for a centralized platform, as in the 2023 version.
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The government also provides for an initial grace period of up to one month to start payments and a period of up to four years for payment. Membership should remain open for around three months.
In return, anyone who joins the program will be prevented from accessing online betting platforms for one year. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) defended the measure when announcing the program. “Now, what you cannot do is renegotiate the debt and continue losing money betting on bets,” he stated.
To make Desenrola 2.0 viable, the government plans to invest between R$8 billion and R$9 billion in the Operations Guarantee Fund (FGO), which will serve as support for possible defaults. In addition, there is an estimated release of around R$4.5 billion from the FGTS to pay off debts.
The first phase of the program, launched in 2023, reached more than 15 million people and enabled the renegotiation of around R$53 billion in debt. The new stage seeks to expand the reach and directly attack the most expensive credit lines, which concentrate defaults in the country.
