Founded in 1861, Brazilian federal savings bank Caixa Economica Federal (CEF), the country's second largest public bank in terms of assets, engages in various business activities including real estate loans, basic sanitation, urban infrastructure, and commercial banking, as well as urban and social development work. Its banking services and products include savings accounts, mortgage notes, judicial deposits, demand and time deposits, and housing loans.

Through its subsidiaries, the bank administers lotteries and manages development funds, including Brazil's federal unemployment insurance fund and a federal infrastructure fund dedicated to private sector investments in basic sanitation, solid waste management, energy, roads, waterways, railways, and ports. CEF's insurance arm Caixa Seguros, a JV between French group CNP Assurances and the bank, offers an array of insurance and pension plan products. The bank is also the main fiscal agent for the government, providing financing for federal housing, education and infrastructure projects.