Latest news and stories about investment in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
The Portuguese government has unveiled its National Data Centre Plan to boost digital infrastructure investment, receiving cautious optimism from industry experts who emphasize the critical need for effective execution.
Cultural investments via the golden visa scheme have surged, with 85% of total funding occurring in 2024 and 2025, primarily concentrated in the North and Greater Lisbon regions despite a lack of mandatory impact assessments.
Joom CEO Ilya Shirokov warns that proposed changes to Portugal's nationality law create market uncertainty and hinder the recruitment of international talent, noting that the company has already lost potential candidates to Germany.
Bankinter Portugal celebrates its tenth anniversary with a strategic goal to enter the top six banking institutions in the country by 2030, focusing on corporate lending, digital expansion, and market share growth.
The Oeiras City Council has approved a significant real estate development at the former Foundry site, which contradicts the foundational principles of New Oeiras.
European stock markets and the euro are experiencing declines as oil prices surge due to escalating conflict in the Middle East, particularly in Iran. US oil prices rose by 8% to $72.40 per barrel, while Brent crude increased by 8.8% to $79.30 per barrel. Natural gas futures in Europe saw a significant rise of over 40% following a production halt by Qatar. Gold prices also increased by 1.2% as investors sought safer assets amid uncertainty. Wall Street opened lower, with the Dow Jones down 0.70%, the Nasdaq down 0.58%, and the S&P 500 down 1.09%. In Europe, while the Lisbon stock exchange remained relatively stable, major markets like Madrid, Frankfurt, Paris, and London faced notable declines. The euro fell to $1.1703, down from $1.1817, and also weakened against the pound and yen.
The government is set to move forward with CP's international tender for 12 high-speed trains, expected to be finalized this year. The arrival of these trains is projected for 2032, enabling the launch of high-speed service on the Porto-Lisbon route in the same year.
Portugal is seeking to enhance its appeal to Middle Eastern investors, particularly from Qatar, by shifting its marketing strategy beyond just its favorable climate. In Doha, representatives from Startup Portugal are engaging with local entrepreneurs to promote investment opportunities in the country.
Lisbon’s PSI index has carried 2025’s strong finish into 2026, with retail, banking and energy stocks drawing the biggest investor interest despite recent volatility tied to global geopolitical developments. Analysts argue the index remains well positioned for another positive year, though they warn that elevated macro and geopolitical risk could produce bouts of market turbulence and uneven sector performance.
Benfica members approved the “Benfica District” project at an extraordinary General Assembly, with 59.24% voting in favour. The development — a campaign pledge of re-elected president Rui Costa — aims to transform the area around the Estádio da Luz, increase stadium capacity and will have material implications for the club's revenue streams, the local property market and urban infrastructure planning.
The event focuses on strategies to encourage investment from Portuguese citizens living abroad within a seven-minute pitch format.
Of the 16 listed companies that make up the PSI index, 15 closed higher and Galp remained unchanged at 19.96 euros.
Air France-KLM plans to submit a binding offer for a minority stake in TAP, CEO Ben Smith stated this Thursday, guaranteeing that the proposal will be “the strongest possible”. “Lisbon's geographical location, to reinforce our already strong position in Latin America, remains very important,” Smith said during a conference call.
Air France-KLM recorded a loss of 287 million euros in the first quarter, slightly lower than the 292 million in the same period of 2025, while revising its full-year 2026 outlook downwards. The Franco-Dutch airline group announced a negative operating result of 27 million euros for the first quarter, despite a 4.4% increase in revenue to 7.479 billion euros. The company cited rising fuel costs due to the conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as key factors for the downward revision of its business outlook. Consequently, the group plans to limit capacity growth to 2-4% and reduce investment to under 3 billion euros. CEO Benjamin Smith emphasized strict cost management while reaffirming the company's interest in acquiring TAP, highlighting Lisbon's strategic location for connectivity to the Americas and Africa.
This Thursday it will be the turn of the ECB and the Bank of England, and experts also do not expect changes to interest rates.
On Wednesday, the Portuguese stock market closed lower, losing 0.60% to 9,209.54 points.
The president of the Iberian Electricity Market (Mibel) operator argues that Europe must increase investment in renewable energy to ensure its energy autonomy. Pedro Amaral Jorge highlights that global instability, such as the war in Iran, exposes the risks of relying on fossil fuel price fluctuations and scarcity. He stresses that Europe must move away from OPEC dependency and geopolitical price control. With electricity currently accounting for 25% of European energy consumption and a target of 50% by 2050, Amaral Jorge emphasizes that sovereignty will depend on integrating renewables into electricity production. The article also covers a meeting in Lisbon between the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the Brazilian Offshore Wind Coalition to discuss offshore wind investments, noting Portugal's pioneering role with the WindFloat Atlantic project and the challenges faced by the sector in the US under the Trump administration.
Estoril Sol indicated this Wednesday that it will not be able to publish its 2025 results by the end of this month, when the legal deadline expires, but expects to complete the process within three weeks. The company is required to disclose its consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025.
It was explained to the governor, as it was to all Bank of Portugal employees, that rules do not allow any stock market investment. Santos Pereira invested anyway (but will donate the capital gains).
The Swiss private banking group Julius Baer has established a new presence in Lisbon, identifying Portugal and Spain as key strategic markets.
The former Governor of the Bank of Portugal also mentioned that “part of the investments made in the United States are with European money”.
The Prime Minister stated today that Portugal is “highly competitive” from an energy perspective, with one of the “lowest costs in the European Union,” and expressed confidence that it will return to growth in 2026 above the EU average.
The Prime Minister emphasizes Portugal's strong competitive position within the energy sector.
The president of a European association claims that Portugal possesses a robust defence industrial sector.
