Founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of the micro and small business support organisation SEBRAE,[3] ApexBrasil became in 2003 an autonomous non-profit entity funded by the private sector and supervised by the Federal Government of Brazil.

Through its programmes and services, ApexBrasil supports approximately one third of Brazil's annual exports and contributes to facilitate at least one fourth of its foreign direct investment (FDI) inward flows each year.

Brazil's trade promotion activities have been historically a task of the Foreign Service, stretching back to the 1834, 1847 and 1872 editions of the Imperial Consular Handbook, which pioneered marketing techniques and concepts such as business intelligence and advocacy.

[7] In the 1930s, these activities included the operation of high-end coffeehouses to promote the Brazilian product and the cafezinho culture, such as the Café do Brasil (1934–40) in the central Ginza district of Tokyo, decorated with custom murals by great Japanese painter Tsuguharu Foujita.

[3] In 2003, development minister Luiz Fernando Furlan, one of the country's top business leaders, expanded the attributions of the agency, now called ApexBrasil, and led its transformation into an autonomous non-profit entity funded entirely by the private sector (through a fixed grant of 12.5% of the SEBRAE annual revenue).

[5] ApexBrasil's strategic vision for 2020-2023 attaches priority to the full planning and operational integration with the trade and investment promotion activities of the Brazilian Foreign Service.

Headquartered in Brasília at the Trade National Confederation business complex, ApexBrasil has a network of four regional offices (São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Recife and Belém) and nine international hubs (Beijing, Bogotá, Brussels, Dubai, Jerusalem, Miami, Moscow, San Francisco and Shanghai).

[6] The agency works in close coordination and partnership with the network of Brazilian Foreign Service posts, especially those with trade promotion sections, thus reaching priority markets around the globe.

[12] During the Covid-19 pandemic, ApexBrasil was recognised by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as a model IPA and TPO for its quick response to the crisis, especially through a robust update of its online platforms that provide tools to support exporters and investors.

According to UNCTAD, the agency swiftly launched an exclusive area on its digital portal “with pandemic-related information for foreign investors in English, (…) and actively engaged in online investment promotion events”.

The Brazilian pavilion in Dubai, designed by the JPG Architects, MMBB and Ben-Avid firms, comprises a central square covered in a thin layer of water and enclosed by giant screens with 140 mega projectors, showing a journey through Brazil's regions and highlighting its sustainable development.

Foreign minister José Paranhos, Baron of Rio Branco (1845-1912), founding father of modern Brazilian diplomacy, was personally involved in the country's presence in the 1884 International Exhibition of Saint Petersburg and especially in the 1889 Exposition Universelle of Paris.