Markets Briefing
Markets, Business & Tech Briefing: BA Glass Closes Tunisia, BPCE Pays €1bn to Fundo de Resolução, IMF Calls Out Lisbon's ISP Top-Up
The latest Portugal news, analysis, and what it means for expats and residents.
Latest
Business
Curiouz Hits 5,000 Listings, €280,000 in Sales and Launches a Buyer Subscription Tier on Monday — Bárbara Neto's Lisbon Vintage-Furniture Platform Aims for €1 Million by Year-End
Curiouz, Bárbara Neto's Lisbon-based vintage-furniture marketplace, opens May 2026 with 5,000+ listings, €280,000 in sales, and a buyer subscription tier launching Monday. €330K raised. €1M sales target by year-end. US still 52% of Q1 demand.
Economy
IMF Warns Two-Thirds of EU Energy Subsidies Are Untargeted and Already Cost 0.18% of GDP — Alfred Kammer Says the Permanent-Fiscal-Burden Trap Is Closing on Lisbon as ISP Discount Climbs Again
IMF's Alfred Kammer warns two-thirds of EU energy subsidies are untargeted and already cost 0.18% of GDP — landing the same weekend Lisbon lifted its ISP fuel-tax discount to €75.48/1,000L diesel and €51.97 gasoline. Permanent-fiscal-burden trap closing on the eurozone.
Government
President Seguro Marks 115 Years of the GNR in Porto and Calls Assaults on Military 'Erosion Signals' for Democracy — Female Recruitment Up, Fires and Maritime Border Praised
President Seguro marked the GNR's 115th anniversary in Porto on Sunday with a speech condemning assaults on military personnel as 'erosion signals' for democracy, while praising the force's August 2025 fire-season performance and rising female recruitment.
Environment
IMO Adopts the World's Largest Emission Control Area Covering Mainland Portugal — North-East Atlantic ECA Caps Bunker Sulphur at 0.10% From 2028 With Tier III NOx for New Builds, Madeira and Açores Left Out
MEPC 84 adopted the North-East Atlantic ECA on 1 May 2026, covering mainland Portugal, Spain, France, the UK, Ireland, Iceland, the Faroes and Greenland. The 0.10% sulphur bunker cap and Tier III NOx for new builds bite from 2028 — Madeira and the Açores are explicitly excluded.
Security
GNR Activates Operação Peregrinação Segura 2026 From Monday Through 13 May Across the Fátima Pilgrim Routes — Two-Phase Deployment, Waze Alerts and a 450,000-Pilgrim Anniversary Window
GNR's Operação Peregrinação Segura 2026 launches Monday 4 May and runs through 13 May. Phase 1 covers the foot-pilgrim flow on the Caminho de Fátima; Phase 2 secures the Cova da Iria recinto for the 12-13 May International Anniversary Pilgrimage. Waze integration adds geolocated safety alerts.
Business
Pingo Doce's 256-Restaurant Footprint and Continente's Cozinha Continente Drive a Fair-Competition Fight Inside Portugal's Restaurant Sector — AHRESP Says Microenterprises Cannot Match the Central-Kitchen Model
Sunday Público reportage: Pingo Doce runs 256 in-store restaurants and is on track to be Portugal's largest restaurant chain. Continente's Cozinha Continente rolls out across a 500-store target. AHRESP says the central-kitchen model is not fair competition for microenterprises.