Maputo, May 6, 2026 (Lusa) - Paulo Macedo, the CEO of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD), a Portuguese state-owned bank, said that the bank’s continued presence in Mozambique, where it leads the country’s largest bank (BCI), depends on agreements with the national authorities and will continue as long as it is “welcome”.
Macedo made these remarks after he was received by the head of state, Daniel Chapo, at the parliament in Maputo on Tuesday, during his visit to the country.
“We came to pay our respects to the president, and to affirm and reaffirm our interest and our commitment to continuing to support BCI, maintaining our presence in Mozambique through BCI, in which we intend to remain shareholders.”
“We told the president of Mozambique that this intention will remain as long as the authorities deem it appropriate and as long as we are welcome,” said Paulo Macedo.
The interest in maintaining CGD’s position in BCI’s shareholding structure was previously signalled in late February, following the Portuguese bank BPI’s announcement of its intention to sell its stake in the Mozambican lender.
The BCI holds a social capital of 10 billion meticais (€138 million), in a shareholder structure led by Caixa Participações (51%), part of the CGD group, with the Portuguese bank BPI (35.67%) and CGD itself (10.51%) also holding stakes, ending 2024 with 2,712 employees.
Macedo also said that he had conveyed to the president of Mozambique that Caixa remains committed to the country in good and bad times: “There have been a number of difficulties, notably natural, economic and geopolitical, and therefore Caixa realises that it is at such times that it must assert its presence”.
During the meeting, Paulo Macedo and the president of Mozambique also discussed future prospects for the bank, including the possibility of BCI being listed on the Mozambique stock market.
"We are also committed to improving the service BCI provides to the Mozambican public and businesses, and we are interested in working alongside the authorities, to benefit BCI’s interests, the interests of Mozambique and the Portuguese state," he said.
Macedo concluded that Caixa possesses significant experience in managing concessional investment lines negotiated between the Mozambican and Portuguese states, adding that the bank is prepared to help implement these initiatives, drawing on its experience with similar agreements in other countries where the Portuguese state maintains such partnerships.
PVJ/MYAL // ADB,
Lusa
