UBS BB — Boards of the Zurich-Brazil Joint Venture
Swiss board members remote, Brazilian executives in person — same room, two time zones.
▶ QUICK SUMMARY
UBS BB Serviços de Assessoria Financeira e Participações S.A. is the joint venture between UBS — one of the world's largest private banks, headquartered in Zurich — and Banco do Brasil, the country's largest public bank. Alex Barros interpreted the JV's board meetings, with Swiss board members participating remotely from Zurich while Brazilian executives discussed in person.
UBS BB and its governance structure
UBS BB Serviços de Assessoria Financeira e Participações S.A. is the joint venture formed between UBS — one of the world's largest private banks, headquartered in Zurich — and Banco do Brasil, the country's largest public bank. The JV operates as an investment banking platform, combining UBS's global institutional reach with BB's capillarity and relationships in the Brazilian market.
The JV's governance structure includes board members from both institutions — part in Brazil and part in Zurich — making simultaneous interpretation a recurring operational need at the boards.
The boards: remote Zurich-Brazil format
UBS board members in Zurich join the JV's boards remotely via videoconference. Alex Barros served as interpreter in the board sessions, ensuring precise communication between the Swiss board members — who present and discuss in English — and the Brazilian board members and executives.
Boards of joint ventures between international banks and Brazilian institutions are high-complexity mandates for the interpreter: they require simultaneous command of corporate governance vocabulary, investment banking practices (ECM, DCM, M&A advisory) and Brazilian capital markets regulatory specifics (CVM, ANBIMA, B3).
Investment banking board vocabulary
| Area | Technical terms |
|---|---|
| Governance | Board resolutions, quorum, voting rights, independent directors, fiduciary duties |
| Finance | JV P&L, fee income, deal pipeline, equity contribution, capital allocation |
| M&A advisory | Advisory mandates, tombstone, deal origination, pitch book |
| ECM/DCM | Offering coordination, underwriting, bookbuilding in Brazil |
| Compliance | KYC/AML, CVM regulation, conflict of interest, Chinese walls |
| Strategy | Market share, competitive positioning, product expansion, business plan |
Regional Day and official vendor homologation
The relationship with UBS went beyond the JV boards. UBS Brazil also operates wealth management, and Regional Day is that division's annual relationship event with high-net-worth institutional clients. In February 2020, the event took place at the Centro Brasileiro Britânico, in Pinheiros (São Paulo) — and UBS formalized lingo as its official simultaneous interpretation vendor.
The partnership between UBS and Banco do Brasil on wealth management products led, in July 2020, to a joint multi-language test event via Microsoft Teams — the Final Test UBS/BB — anticipating the same communication dynamic between the two institutions that already characterized the joint venture's boards.
Frequently asked questions
What is UBS BB?+
The investment banking joint venture between UBS (headquartered in Zurich) and Banco do Brasil, the country's largest public bank.
How did the Swiss board members' participation work?+
UBS board members in Zurich joined the boards remotely via videoconference, presenting and discussing in English.
Why are international JV boards more complex for the interpreter?+
They require simultaneous command of corporate governance vocabulary, investment banking practices (ECM, DCM, M&A advisory) and Brazilian capital markets regulation (CVM, ANBIMA, B3).
Does lingo have experience with other international JVs and holdings?+
Yes, including mandates with Macquarie × Solví, Carlyle × Tempo Assist and Swiss Re in Brazil.
Does the interpreter sign an NDA for JV board meetings?+
Yes. For mandates with confidential deliberations and agendas, lingo signs a bilateral NDA before the service begins.
Does your international JV board need an interpreter?
Tell lingo the format and time zones involved.
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