Financial institutions returned 8.91 million euros to customers in 2025 following interventions by the Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal or BdP). The regulator also noted an increase in consumer complaints, particularly regarding digital fraud and difficulties in closing bank accounts.
Bank of Portugal reports 8.9 million euros returned to customers
Tuesday, 12 May 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
- Governor of Banco de Portugal (2020–present)
- Former: Minister of Finance (2015–2020), President of the Eurogroup (2018–2020)
- Party: Independent (PS-affiliated)
- Background: Economist (PhD, Harvard)
Mário José Gomes de Freitas Centeno (born 1966) is Portugal's central bank governor and one of the country's most internationally recognized economic figures. As Finance Minister under António Costa's first PS government, he became known as "Cristiano Ronaldo of European finance" for turning Portugal's deficit into a surplus while reversing austerity.
He was elected president of the Eurogroup (the informal body of euro area finance ministers) in 2018 — the first Portuguese to hold the role. Since becoming Governor of Banco de Portugal in 2020, he sits on the ECB's Governing Council and oversees Portuguese banking supervision and financial stability.
7 sources
- Bank customer complaints increased in 2025, with a focus on credit transfers and consumer loansexpresso.pt ·
- Fraud, digitalisation and new business models promise to give the Banco de Portugal more workExpresso ·
- Banco CTT, Abanca and Universo among those with the most complaintsobservador.pt ·
- Banco de Portugal announces that financial institutions returned 8.9 million euros to customers in 2025dinheirovivo.dn.pt ·
- Banks forced to return 8.91 million euros to customerspublico.pt ·
- BdP facilitated bank account closures, but received a thousand complaintseco.sapo.pt ·
- BdP wants to review bank price lists to facilitate offer comparisonrtp.pt ·
