Portuguese company Vitropor plans to expand by building a glass factory in the city of Matola, in Mozambique, as part of the Internationalisation in Partnership programme, said Portuguese businessman Pedro Aguiar.

The company’s expansion is included in a contract signed Wednesday under the terms of the programme, promoted by Caixa Capital, Mota-Engil Indústria e Inovação and Aicep Capital Global and which is intended to support the internationalisation of small and medium-sized Portuguese companies.

Portugal will contribute US$13 million to the Enterprise Fund for Portuguese Cooperation (FECOP), a mechanism to support investment in micro, small and medium-sized Mozambican companies, the Mozambican Minister of Industry and Trade said in Maputo Thursday.

Armando Inroga said that the fund would act as a “cushion” for projects facing difficulties in finding funding under “traditional conditions that banks require” and should benefit several sectors.

The main shareholder of troubled Banco Espirito Santo was placed in receivership on Tuesday as Portugal's largest listed lender announced it has sold off the bulk of its Swiss-based private bank.

Luxembourg's district court in a statement said it had agreed to a request last Friday from Espirito Santo International (ESI) that it be placed under "controlled management".

Why referrals frequently don't work - Many people don't like referring people because they think that we'll immediately try to sell something to the person referred .. and that feels a bit yukky!

And, even when willing to help you, if you ask someone to list all the people they know, that you could contact with details of your product or service, they will usually say they'll do it tomorrow .. and when tomorrow comes they forget.

Ask any business how they get most of their customers and the majority will say by word of mouth.

Ask them if they have a strategy for this and they are very likely to look at you as if you as if you are an idiot. Why do people seem to leave word of mouth to chance ... no one seems to use word of mouth strategically?

This month I would like to discuss what happens when the exchange rate is against you. The first thing you think is “I’m losing out, I’m not getting what I wanted.” What I would like to say is, “don’t worry, there is always a solution.”

At Premier FX we listen to your needs. We then go through the options to secure the best rates for you. We all know it’s all well and good while the rate is in your favour, but what happens if you have a large sum, or regular payments that you need to transfer and the rate is working against you?

So far in 2014, Portugal's tax department has taken action against 53,914 company owners to settle company debts owed to the State by seizing their assets, according to figures released today by the Ministry of Finance.

This record cull in just six months of 2014 represents more seizures than during 2012 and 2013 combined.

G20 officials meeting in Australia later this year must make it harder for the corrupt to hide behind secret companies, Transparency International said today as it launched a global campaign to "unmask the corrupt".

Today many leading economies do not require or record information about who really owns or controls companies registered in their country, making it easier for corrupt individuals, terrorists or organised criminals to hide and shift their stolen wealth.