Video

Banco Master and the R$ 45 billion carbon credit fraud

At the beginning of 2026, a financial scandal involving Banco Master and the asset manager REAG exposed a billion-real operation built around carbon credits. What drew attention was the use of public land in the Amazon as the basis for creating high-value environmental assets, without legal or environmental backing.

The operation was not limited to a technical or accounting error. It revealed a structured process involving financial sector companies, consultancies, and audit firms, raising a warning about how carbon markets can be manipulated when there is no effective public oversight or control.

Land designated for agrarian reform was treated as private property. Standing forest was accounted for as if it generated tradable credits, even without concrete actions for preservation or emissions reduction. Based on this, billions were moved - including outside Brazil - without generating any real climate benefit.

The case is still under investigation, but its impact is already tangible: it undermines trust in serious environmental initiatives, raises questions about the limits of self-regulation in carbon markets, and reinforces the urgency of a transparent system grounded in solid technical and legal frameworks.

Want to understand the case in depth?

Watch the full video to explore the stages of the case, the damages involved, the documents, and the technical explanations behind this scandal.

Disclaimer: The video is in Brazilian Portuguese, but simultaneous translation and subtitles are available in multiple languages.

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News

Bamboo moves to the center of structural engineering with new international manual

A new manual published by the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) in January 2026 is set to change the role of bamboo in the construction industry. The document establishes technical guidelines for the structural use of natural bamboo based on ISO 22156:2021 and opens the door for its adoption in small- and medium-scale infrastructure projects.

The publication represents a significant technical advance. Until now, the lack of internationally recognized standards limited bamboo to experimental or vernacular construction. The new manual allows engineers to design using standardized parameters for performance, safety, and durability.

According to the document, the use of natural bamboo is authorized for buildings of up to two storeys, with applications in columns, beams, walls, and hybrid connections. The focus is on the use of full culms, chemically treated and classified by diameter and wall thickness. The height limitation is due to the material’s flammability, and the manual proposes safety measures such as fire barriers, encapsulation, and sensors.

Bamboo is considered promising due to its high tensile strength (up to 370 MPa), low weight, and rapid growth rate. Its flexibility favors use in earthquake-prone regions. However, the material presents technical challenges, such as low stiffness and susceptibility to shear, which require careful detailing of connections.

Three recent projects help demonstrate its potential: Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport in India, which used 1,000 km of engineered bamboo; the Ninghai Bamboo Tower in China, with seven storeys; and The Arc pavilion in Bali, featuring large-span structural arches.

The global bamboo market is expected to exceed US$100 billion by 2034, with Asia standing out as the main producer and technology developer. Engineered products such as Glubam and CLBT already enable the use of bamboo in more demanding structural components.

With the new manual, bamboo gains technical recognition and can be incorporated more safely into sustainable projects. Adoption is expected to increase, driven by clear standards, industrial innovation, and decarbonization targets.