Brazil’s national development bank has approved a R$10.6mn loan for AutoMind to deploy artificial intelligence across fuel and liquid-bulk logistics. The deal signals how development finance is being linked to energy-sector digitalisation and supply-chain efficiency.
BNDES pushes AI deeper into fuel logistics
According to specialist reporting on the approval, BNDES cleared the R$10.6mn (about US$2mn) package on 28 August 2026 under its BNDES Mais Inovação programme. The funds will back AutoMind, a Brazilian industrial automation company, as it builds AI-driven and software-as-a-service tools for oil and gas logistics, including fuel terminals and other liquid-bulk operations.
The project covers research, development, validation and rollout of digital platforms. These platforms are designed to automate processes, integrate information flows and raise productivity at terminals and distribution bases. It forms a new phase of AutoMind’s Plano AutoMind 2030 strategy, which aims to expand scalable digital products and strengthen the company’s international reach.
BNDES has been scaling up its innovation credit in 2026. The Mais Inovação programme supports technology investments from industrial robotics to biofuels and AI-enabled software. This new deal fits that pattern, but targets a niche segment where data and regulatory complexity remain high and digital penetration is uneven.
As part of the project, AutoMind plans to apply AI not only to operational automation but also to business intelligence and risk management across fuel and gas logistics chains. Company statements indicate that the financing will support hiring specialised staff, though specific headcount targets have not been disclosed.
How will AutoMind’s products change terminal operations?
One of the most advanced products in AutoMind’s pipeline is Autoload Cloud — a cloud platform for automating and managing liquid-bulk movements at terminals and distribution bases. The system links scheduling, yard and access control, weighing, loading and unloading, and inventory management in a single digital flow. It can track road, rail, pipeline and maritime operations, allowing operators to monitor multimodal movements on one interface.
Transporte Moderno reports that Autoload Cloud is already being implemented at a fuel base in Balsas, in the state of Maranhão, with remote monitoring built into the deployment. This pilot anchors the project in a real operation and gives investors an early test case for productivity and cost outcomes.
AutoMind is also advancing AutoChecker, a system for checking and managing documents used in the transport of dangerous goods, including fuels. The platform receives documents, extracts and organises data, applies business rules and cross-checks information against external databases. It identifies inconsistencies and expiry dates while keeping an auditable record of checks. In a sector where compliance failures can halt operations and trigger fines, automating this layer can be as valuable as optimising truck turnaround times.
In addition, the financing will support development of business intelligence tools for terminals and bases, integration between industrial automation and inventory management at gas processing plants, and a metrological management solution for transfers of oil and derivatives. AutoMind also plans to digitalise the commercial and logistics cycle of fuel resellers and to build an AI tool that automates technical interpretation for risk management plans, scanning documents and applying business rules to support decisions.
What does the deal mean for investors?
AutoMind’s CEO, Paulo Frank, has argued that fuel and liquid-bulk logistics involve a complex chain of agents, systems and regulatory demands. He contends that reliable data integration can increase traceability, cut manual work and speed up decisions, leading to better use of infrastructure, lower operating costs and reduced environmental impacts from logistics. AutoMind is, in short, trying to turn fuel logistics from a compliance-heavy bottleneck into a data-rich efficiency engine.
The company was founded in 1987 and is based in Salvador, with units in Rio de Janeiro, Macaé and Houston. Since 2023 it has operated in Houston, serving liquid-bulk terminals and midstream oil and gas infrastructure across the Americas. The BNDES-backed project will help adapt, validate and commercialise its new solutions beyond Brazil, with a focus on North, Central and South America.
For BNDES president Aloizio Mercadante, the support aligns with the bank’s agenda to digitalise industry and create skilled jobs. The loan also sits within a broader upswing in BNDES financing for infrastructure and technology, as the bank positions itself as a core financier of Brazil’s infrastructure decade. This financing complements the bank’s broader Africa-facing and domestic mandates, as seen in its Angola farmland and agribusiness push.
AutoMind’s AI logistics drive now gives investors a concrete signal of where BNDES sees the next productivity gains in oil and gas infrastructure. Over the coming quarters, institutional investors and corporates should watch how the Balsas pilot scales, whether AI-driven platforms become standard across Brazilian terminals, and how quickly the Houston operation converts home-grown technology into regional export revenue.
Quick answers
BNDES approved R$10.6mn (about US$2mn) on 28 August 2026 under its Mais Inovação programme to fund AutoMind’s AI-driven fuel and liquid-bulk logistics platforms.
Autoload Cloud is AutoMind’s cloud platform that integrates scheduling, weighing, loading, unloading and inventory management for liquid-bulk terminals. It is currently being piloted at a fuel base in Balsas, Maranhão, with remote monitoring included.
Yes. AutoMind has operated in Houston, Texas since 2023, serving liquid-bulk terminals and midstream oil and gas infrastructure across the Americas. The BNDES-backed project will support commercialisation of new solutions across North, Central and South America.
