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The modern high-rise Sana Lisboa hotel in central Lisbon, its glass facade flying Portuguese flags at the entrance

Portugal's Hotels Attracted More Investment in Six Months Than in All of 2025, Capped by a €100 Million Corinthia Lisbon Takeover

Buyers poured €508 million into Portuguese hotels in the first half of 2026 — up 54% year on year and already past the whole of last year — led by Orion's €100 million-plus purchase of the Corinthia Lisbon, even as occupancy rates softened.

The Portugal Brief 18 Aug 2026

The grey stone Montepio Geral building in central Porto, its name carved beneath a domed corner tower

The ECB Pulls Banco Empresas Montepio's Banking Licence, Ending the €35 Million Rauva Fintech Deal

The European Central Bank has revoked the authorisation of Banco Empresas Montepio, the small corporate bank Montepio had spent three years trying to sell to the fintech Rauva for €35 million. With no licence left, the deal is dead — though Banco Montepio's own customers are untouched.

The Portugal Brief 18 Aug 2026

The neoclassical stone facade of the Tribunal da Relacao de Coimbra, inscribed DOMVS IVSTITIAE beneath its pediment

Portugal Has Struck 50 Debt-Enforcement Agents Off the Register in a Decade, Even as Its Collection Backlog More Than Halves

New Justice Ministry figures show Portugal's court-ordered debt-collection backlog has fallen from 770,000 cases to 350,000 and average waits are at a decade low — but 50 enforcement agents have been expelled in ten years, and seven more are suspended. What it means if you owe money here, or are owe

The Portugal Brief 18 Aug 2026

Green and yellow painted apartment buildings on a calçada-paved square in Almada, Portugal

Portugal's Land-Reclassification Law Draws Just 27 Requests in 18 Months, Far Short of the Housing Land It Promised

Eighteen months after Portugal rewrote its rules to turn rural land urban for housing, the reform has produced only 27 reclassification requests — and the government cannot say how many are actually for homes. Why the flagship supply-side fix has barely moved the needle.

The Portugal Brief 18 Aug 2026

General Daily Briefing — Tuesday, 18 August 2026

General Daily Briefing — Tuesday, 18 August 2026

Good morning. Here is your Tuesday briefing for 18 August 2026 — the day's essential Portugal stories for residents, expats and anyone keeping an eye on the country, spanning dealmaking, music, justice, the drought, higher education and defence. * Portugal's mergers and acquisitions market cooled to about €4.

The Portugal Brief 18 Aug 2026

Portuguese Army soldiers in camouflage and helmets gathered around a map during a field training exercise in dry scrubland, rifles slung over their shoulders

The Portuguese Army Buys a €1.3 Million Laser Combat Simulator to Sharpen Field Training

The Portuguese Army has bought a laser-based force-on-force combat simulator from Sweden's Saab for about €1.3 million, part of a roughly €5 million plan to modernise training. Based at Santa Margarida, it instruments soldiers and weapons to score live exercises objectively.

The Portugal Brief 18 Aug 2026

The ornate baroque stone main entrance of the University of Coimbra, flanked by twin staircases in the old university courtyard

Nine in Ten Applicants Win a University Place in Portugal's First Round, With 11,500 Seats Still Open

In the first phase of Portugal's 2026 national higher-education competition, 43,899 students — 90.1% of applicants — secured a place, the government says. More than 11,500 vacancies remain unfilled across 1,000-plus courses, to be contested in the second phase.

The Portugal Brief 18 Aug 2026

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