Lisbon today welcomed the official opening of a new bank to the capital, the Angolan Bank ‘BNI Europe.’
The International Business Bank (BNI), founded by Mário Palhares (pictured), will provide corporate banking and private banking services in Portugal.
The bank has operated in Angola since 2006 and specialises in working with large corporate clients and wealthy individuals through BNI Prime, and with other businesses with BNI Prime Corporate.
With the growth of rich Angolans with interests in Portugal, and the boom in business between the two countries despite often poor government relations, the bank aims to capitalise on the banking needs that accompany the increase in trade.
BNI has 86 branches in Angola and a team of 770 employees serving 127,667 customers.
"The growth and consolidation of BNI led us to take the natural decision to become international through BNI Europe, … to reinforce the already very significant business transactions between Portugal and Angola," says Mário Palhares, the founder and chairman of the board of BNI and Bank BNI Europe.
Palhares has been an administrator and deputy governor of the National Bank of Angola, founder and president of the African Investment Bank and also participated in the creation of the Bank of Commerce and Industry (BCI).
With a registered capital of €25 million and BNI as a shareholder, BNI Europe will operate from a headquarters in Marques de Pombal in Lisbon.
