Abstract
This article analyzes the performance of insurance companies in Brazil between 1889 and 1914. It seeks to present the wide insertion of these companies in the Brazilian economy; it is concluded that in addition to the insurance concession, these firms played an active financial role, granting credit and financing the Brazilian State through the continuous purchase of federal public debt policies. We sought to emphasize the transition from a commercial to a financial dynamic, proven by insurance companies particularly since the 1890s, and also show how the insurance activity of that time was influenced by the new conditions of global capitalism.
Keywords:
Insurance companies; First Brazilian Republic; Credit; Imperialism; Public debt