Woolworths profit growth slows due to rising costs and inflation

The Cabinet approved the revision of the Ministry of Shipping's policy regarding coastal zones on Friday. The goal of this change is to accelerate the attraction of private investment by ensuring greater operational certainty and providing state bodies with the ability to obtain coastal zone rights by nomination.

The revised Policy for Granting Coastal Zones and Associated Land for Port-Dependent Industries (Policy for Tied Users) includes a number of reforms aimed at increasing operational flexibility and strengthening infrastructure development at major ports.

The Ministry of Shipping reported that the updated policy allows existing tied users to expand their capacities, including additional berths, piers, terminals, and stationary buoys (SBMs), to meet increased tying requirements. Furthermore, the concession period for state structures has been extended to 30 years, taking into account changes arising from evolving business needs and regulatory conditions.

According to officials, there were about 24 coastal zone facilities for tied users as of last year.

The Ministry stated that this policy should provide investors with greater confidence, promote capacity increase, and improve the business environment in the port sector without any financial cost to the government.

Additionally, the revised policy establishes a framework for allocating coastal zones and associated land to relevant state organizations based on nomination, without competitive tenders, provided that resources are available and established guarantees are met.

Organizations eligible to receive such zones include central and state departments, statutory bodies, autonomous structures, state-owned enterprises (PSUs), and state-controlled joint ventures operating in sectors such as fertilizers, food, oil, gas, coal, and steel, according to the Ministry of Shipping's notification.

Under the new policy, concessions will be granted at the announced base price.

The Federal Revenue has started issuing the National Registry Code for Legal Entities (CNPJ) in an alphanumeric format, combining letters and numbers, specifically for new registrations, following Normative Instruction RFB No. 2,229. This change does not affect organizations or individuals who had CNPJs issued before this date.

The new model maintains the 14-position structure but allows the first 12 characters to be composed of both numbers (from 0 to 9) and uppercase letters (from A to Z). The last two characters remain numeric, serving as the Verification Digit (DV), calculated by a specific method.

Although the alphanumeric CNPJ was announced by the Federal Revenue in October 2024, it only became officially recognized this July. The main purpose of this modification is to increase the volume of available combinations for creating CNPJs, given that an estimated almost 70 million out of 100 million numerically possible CNPJs have already been used.

The adoption of this format aims to prevent the future exhaustion of free combinations, considering that individuals and corporations can maintain multiple CNPJs, and many of these records are canceled without being reusable.

The first alphanumeric CNPJ belongs to Banco do Brasil

According to a statement from the Federal Revenue itself, the first CNPJ generated under the new standard occurred on the day of publication, designated for a Banco do Brasil branch, with the code 00.000.000/E08G-12. However, the Federal Revenue clarifies that not all CNPJs issued starting this Friday will immediately follow the new format, as the stock of purely digital numbers has not yet been exhausted.

This period is considered a transition phase. The Federal Revenue reported that it is collaborating in a coordinated manner with government agencies, representative entities, and technology providers to ensure a smooth transition. This care is necessary because, although public and private organizations have received almost two years to adjust their systems to the new standard, some companies may face delays or technical difficulties during implementation.

It should be noted that CNPJs issued previously under the old standard remain valid and do not require updating; the new format is exclusively for new issuances.

The sharp increase in oil prices, resulting from the energy crisis in the Middle East, prompted several countries in the second half of 2026 to intensify incentives for the purchase of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. This movement resulted in record sales for this segment across 50 different markets.

According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), more than 9 million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles were sold in the first half of the year, with over 5 million of these units specifically registered between April and June.

This progress occurred against a backdrop of a general contraction in the global automotive market. Despite the drop in total vehicle sales and the slowdown observed in major markets such as the United States and China, nations dependent on oil imports accelerated their migration to electrified models.

The energy crisis forced a reassessment of priorities by various governments, especially those most affected by the cost of foreign fuel acquisition. The IEA indicated that the rising cost of supply strengthened the argument that electric vehicles can reduce countries' vulnerability to oil price fluctuations.

The agency classified this event as the largest documented supply disruption and highlighted that the impact on fuel prices contributed to a new wave of policies focused on the electrification of land transport.

In the period between March and June 2026, plug-in vehicle sales doubled in countries such as Australia, India, Brazil, South Korea, and Vietnam compared to the same period the previous year. This growth was accompanied by the implementation of new government actions aimed at stimulating the purchase of these automobiles.

Australia expanded its subsidies for plug-in models and accelerated a plan to install public charging points. In Thailand, a financing program was established for consumers interested in battery-powered cars. Vietnam, meanwhile, maintained tax benefits for these types of vehicles until 2030.

Other nations also implemented similar measures. France nearly doubled the public funds allocated to electrification, while Spain extended tax discounts related to the purchase of electric vehicles and the installation of chargers.

The IEA reported that dozens of administrations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America expanded existing programs or created new incentive mechanisms shortly after the start of the energy crisis.

The increase in the sales of electrified vehicles gained prominence for occurring during a period of decline in the automotive sector. In the first half of 2026, global vehicle sales recorded a 5% reduction compared to the previous half.

Despite a weaker start to the year, electric and plug-in hybrid models regained momentum in the second quarter, accounting for 24% of global light vehicle sales in the first six months of the year.

This expansion occurred even with the contraction in the two largest automotive markets on the planet. In China, total vehicle sales fell by 20% in the first half, although new energy vehicles, a category encompassing electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, experienced a smaller reduction due to decreased subsidies.

In the United States, the picture was different. After the expiration of the federal tax credit for electric vehicles and the reduction of incentives linked to energy efficiency goals, manufacturers received fewer stimuli to prioritize electric models. Nevertheless, the country achieved its highest volume of electric vehicle sales in the second quarter since the end of the tax benefit.