CADE signes record number of agreements in 2025

In 2025, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) signed a total of 75 cease and desist agreements, a record number in the history of the agency since 2015. The agreements were signed by 66 companies and 14 individuals investigated for antitrust violations, resulting in over BRL 357 million in financial contributions to the Fund for De Facto Joint Rights (FDD).

Investigations covered different economic sectors, such as dental services, construction and infrastructure, financial market, human resources, healthcare, higher education, engineering, currency exchange, among others.

The dental services sector has the largest number of agreements, with 15 signatures related to investigations of alleged influence on dental services free pricing by regional councils.

Other notable agreements involved public procurements, with 11 signatures, and the offshore currency market, with seven agreements, which ended one of the largest cartel investigations conducted by the agency in the past years.

Financially, the highest values were recorded in high-impact agreements. The main one was signed in the civil construction and public works sector, totalling BRL 125 million. Other relevant agreements involved the labour market, human resources, and the financial market, each amounting around BRL 80 million in financial contributions.

In addition to legal entities, the signature of cease and desist agreements with individuals reinforces CADE's strategy of making managers, administrators, and professionals involved in anticompetitive practices accountable, thereby increasing the dissuasive effect of competition policy. For Gustavo Augusto, president of CADE, the results achieved in 2025 prove the importance of consensual instruments for the effectiveness of antitrust policy in Brazil.

“The record number of agreements cleared in 2025 demonstrates CADE’s ability to act firmly and efficiently in the fight against antitrust violations, while promoting fast solutions with significant impact on society. These agreements ensure the cessation of illegal conducts, reinforce the culture of compliance, and allocate significant resources to projects of collective interest," he stated.

The amounts collected through cease and desist agreements are fully allocated to the FDD, which finances projects aimed at protecting and promoting collective rights, converting repressive action into direct benefits for society.

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