Can a company with bad credit get a loan?

You're not alone. In June 2026, Serasa Experian recorded more than 9.1 million delinquent companies in Brazil, a record in the historical series, and 8.6 million of them were micro and small businesses. With the company's CNPJ flagged for unpaid debts, credit becomes harder and more expensive, but not impossible. The most solid path, almost always, is to clean up first and ask later.

The practical path

1. Find out exactly what you owe. Check the company's CNPJ at the credit bureaus, at the Central Bank's Registrato (which shows operations with financial institutions), and at the Federal Revenue Service and the Office of the Attorney General of the National Treasury (PGFN) for tax debts. Build a table: creditor, amount, interest, collateral, how overdue.
2. Negotiate before asking for new credit. Creditors prefer receiving something to nothing. Use the creditor's own official channels, renegotiation drives and, for federal debts, the PGFN's tax settlements. Federal renegotiation programs for small businesses open and close throughout the year; check gov.br.
3. Prioritize the right debts. Taxes and labor charges have serious consequences, and secured debts can cost you the asset. Organize the order with an accountant.
4. Know the possible doors. Credit unions tend to look at the relationship beyond the credit record. Secured credit (equipment, card receivables) may be viable. Some official programs have specific rules about credit restrictions; check the current conditions before counting on them.
5. Make your supplier an ally. Longer payment terms are credit without a bank. A long-standing supplier, with whom you've always kept your word, may help more than a bank.
6. Don't fall for the bad-credit scam. "Loans for people with bad credit, approved instantly, just pay a fee" is the most common bait. No serious lender charges before releasing the money.
7. Fix the cause. If the company ended up with bad credit because the price doesn't cover the cost, new credit only increases the debt.

This page offers general guidance and doesn't replace an accountant or a lawyer. If you can't afford a lawyer, go to the Public Defender's Office or a law school's legal aid clinic.

How Bairo went through it

Bairo Leandro Gonzalez Martinez says he knew the inside of a company with no way out: he went broke after an investment that didn't hold, with many people depending on him. There is a natural reaction to that moment: complaining about the partner, the system, bad luck. He says he chose not to complain and, instead, to learn what he didn't know.

Years later, while building the foundation of CEASA Bank, he says he heard from the banks that his solution wasn't possible, and they refused to integrate it. He learned then that, when a credit door closes, sometimes the answer is to build another relationship, another path, another model.

The Method step

This situation calls for step 7 of the Seventh Attempt Method: go quiet and return to the circle. Before any desperate decision, 20 minutes without screens, just paper and the list of debts. Then take stock: what is this phase teaching you about price, payment terms and cash? Your next attempt begins with that list in hand.

Discover the Seventh Attempt Method

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• My company is in debt: what do I do?
• Is a loan for an MEI worth it?
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