The Bank of Portugal Wants Every Shop to Take at Least One Form of Card or Digital Payment
The central bank wants to oblige every business to accept at least one digital payment method alongside cash, as part of its 2025 retail-payments strategy.
banking
Banking services, regulations, and financial products in Portugal.
Bank of Portugal Lowers the Maximum Household Debt-Service Ratio to 45% and Trims Banks' Room for Exceptions From August 1
The Bank of Portugal's new Macroprudential Recommendation cuts the maximum debt-service-to-income ratio (taxa de esforço) from 50% to 45% for mortgage and consumer credit, and trims banks' exception margin from 15% to 10%. It applies to loans assessed from 1 August and may later become binding law.
Portugal Scraps Loan-Processing Fees on Pre-2021 Mortgages and Makes Tied Products Optional From 28 June
A long-phased Portuguese banking law reaches its final stage on 28 June 2026, ending the monthly processing fee on credit contracts signed up to the end of 2020 and barring banks from tying insurance or other products to a loan renegotiation.
Finance Minister Rejects an Expert Panel's Proposal to Merge Portugal's Three Financial Supervisors
A government-appointed panel proposed folding the Bank of Portugal, the CMVM and the insurance regulator into a single supervisor. Finance Minister Joaquim Miranda Sarmento turned it down within two days.
Getting Your NIF and Opening a Portuguese Bank Account in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the Tax Number, Fiscal Representation, and the Documents Banks Actually Ask For
Almost nothing in Portugal happens without a NIF and a bank account. This guide explains how to get your tax number, when non-EU arrivals still need a fiscal representative, the resident-versus-non-resident distinction, and which documents banks ask for in 2026.
Bank of Portugal's Resolution Fund Books a €630 Million Reserve for Possible BES Compensation Claims
The Fundo de Resolucao, which financed the 2014 rescue of Banco Espirito Santo, has set aside €630 million in its 2025 accounts against the chance it must one day compensate BES creditors under the 'no creditor worse off' principle.
Bank Profits Cool in the First Quarter as Lending Margins Tighten
A new Bank of Portugal report shows banking-sector return on equity slipped to 13.65% in the first quarter of 2026 as falling rates compress net interest margins.