Navan Buys Smartrips to Turn Brazil Into Its Latin America Launchpad

Navan announced that it will acquire Smartrips, a Brazilian travel management company based in São Paulo.

The companies did not disclose the deal value. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of Navan’s fiscal year 2027.

This is Navan’s first acquisition since its public listing in October 2025. The company, formerly known as TripActions, provides a platform for business travel, payments, and expense management. By buying Smartrips, Navan is adding local expertise in Brazil instead of relying only on partners or separate systems.

Why Brazil is important

Brazil is Latin America’s largest corporate travel market. Navan said the country represents about 40 percent of business travel spending in the region.

Business travel in Brazil can involve local suppliers, specific payment needs, and regional support requirements. Smartrips already works in this market and offers corporate booking, spend monitoring, and 24-hour traveler support.

What changes for customers

After the deal closes, Navan plans to bring Smartrips’ local travel services into its own platform. This means companies using Navan should be able to manage more Brazilian travel in one place, instead of switching between different booking tools or local providers.

The benefit is mainly operational. Travel managers get better visibility into bookings, costs, and policy compliance. Employees also get a more consistent booking experience when they travel in different countries.

Navan keeps building through acquisitions

The Smartrips deal fits Navan’s wider expansion strategy. The company has previously bought regional travel management companies, including Reed & Mackay in the United Kingdom, Comtravo in Germany, and Tripeur in India.

Navan links local expansion with AI automation

Recently, Navan introduced new AI booking and expense tools that let employees plan trips through chat, submit expenses with voice or video, and help managers control travel policy more easily. The Smartrips deal adds the local Brazil expertise needed to make that global platform work better in Latin America, not just in Navan’s core markets.

Photo by Raphael Nogueira on Unsplash