Latest news and stories about savings in government in Portugal for expats and residents.
The government is launching a new series of Treasury Certificates (Certificados do Tesouro) to attract family savings with a fixed interest rate. The new 10-year product, known as Series 5, offers an initial interest rate of 2.35% and requires a minimum subscription of 1,000 euros. This initiative aims to provide a secure investment option for savers while the state manages public debt in a volatile financial market.
The Governor of the Banco de Portugal (Banco de Portugal or BdP), Álvaro Santos Pereira, has expressed support for an interest rate increase at the next European Central Bank (Banco Central Europeu or ECB) meeting in June. Citing the need to act quickly against potential inflationary spirals, the governor noted that while the economy remains resilient, inflation remains a primary concern.
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.
The European Central Bank (Banco Central Europeu or BCE) is the central institution for the 20 European Union countries that use the euro. It manages monetary policy, sets key interest rates, and maintains price stability across the eurozone.
The Portuguese government is set to approve Treasury Certificates Series 5, a new public debt instrument designed to attract small savers by building on the existing Treasury Savings Value Certificates model.
The Council of Ministers released a resolution on Friday, July 3, establishing Series 5 Treasury Certificates, aimed at boosting access to fixed-rate public debt instruments with no risk of capital loss. Designed for private savers with lower liquidity needs and a 10-year maturity, the certificates offer a fixed interest rate that increases over time, with early redemption possible after the first year. Each unit has a nominal value of one euro, with subscription limits ranging from 1,000 to 1,000,000 units. Interest rates start at 2.35% in the first year, rising to 3.35% by the tenth year. The IGCP will manage the issuance and redemption. Interest is subject to income tax, while the capital is fully guaranteed. This new offer replaces the Treasury Savings Value Certificates. Additionally, the Ministry of Finance has barred an Eco journalist following a report on Treasury Certificates.
The Government approved this Friday the new series 5 Treasury Certificates, a 10-year savings product with fixed and increasing interest rates between 2.35% and 3.35%, which will replace the Treasury Savings Value Certificates starting Monday. Council of Ministers Resolution no. 141-A/2026 creates the certificates...
The Council of Ministers is expected to approve a new state savings instrument on Friday, which will go on sale as early as Monday.
Portuguese household savings are about to gain a new alternative, but this change comes at a price for the State. As ECO revealed this Thursday, the Government will launch new Treasury Certificates, with subscriptions starting next Monday, after the proposal is discussed and approved by the Council of Ministers.
The new product is expected to be approved at this Thursday's Council of Ministers meeting and will have a 10-year maturity.
PRESS REVIEW | Among the main changes is the increase in the investment term, which goes from seven to ten years
Although ruling out a structural reform of Social Security during the current legislative term, the minister admits it could be 'beneficial' to create individual savings mechanisms. The report by Jorge Bravo has not yet been submitted.
The IL presented a bill this Tuesday proposing the creation of Savings and Investment Accounts that allow for contributions of up to 20,000 euros annually without taxes on gains obtained through these accounts. In the legislative initiative submitted to Parliament, the liberal bench proposes the creation of a legal framework for...
A discussion on whether the concept of 'Trump Accounts' is a policy that could be applicable or beneficial in the Portuguese context.
The amount of accumulated investments in series E and F also increases, rising from 250,000 euros to 500,000 euros.
The Government has changed the rules so that more savings certificates (in units) can be subscribed to by each saver. In the series currently on sale, each subscriber can hold 250,000 units.
The March value had fallen to 2.012%. The profitability of the state savings product exceeds the average for deposits by 100 basis points.
Savings Certificates will pay more to those who subscribe to these Republic debt securities in April. The base interest rate is set at 2.138% for next month, according to ECO calculations, an increase of 12.6 basis points compared to the 2.012% recorded in March. This is the largest jump in the remuneration of these debt securities.
Savings Certificates attracted a further 291.2 million euros in February, marking the 17th consecutive month of positive net subscriptions, according to data from the Bank of Portugal. At the end of last month, approximately 40.9 billion euros were invested in these certificates, which continue to maintain a certain popularity regarding...
Coimbra, Penafiel, Setúbal, Faro, and Viseu will now offer this service.
The three-month Euribor average is 2.086% and the trend is upward. This state savings product is more profitable than bank deposits.
Portugal is going through “a moment of deserved and much-needed stability” that allows the Government to plan “a better future for the Portuguese,” said Minister of State and Finance Joaquim Miranda Sarmento on Monday during the conference of the Supervisory Authority for Insurance and Pension Funds (ASF) in Lisbon. According to the minister, after ...
The Finance Minister said at a conference on savings that 'it is essential to ensure that younger generations have the perception that today's effort will yield returns tomorrow'.
