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Novobanco

“Can a resolution-bank-turned-restructured-lender achieve sustainable profitability and digital competitiveness in the Portuguese retail and SME banking market?”

Founded2014
HQLisbon, Portugal
IndustryBank / National
The story

Novobanco was created in 2014 as a resolution vehicle by the Bank of Portugal following the collapse of Banco Espírito Santo, inheriting BES's retail, corporate, and investment banking operations. Lone Star Funds acquired a majority stake in 2017, initiating a multi-year restructuring and profitability-focused transformation. The bank has since invested in digital channels and online lending products while maintaining a traditional banking model anchored in Portugal, with limited public disclosure of third-party embedded finance vendor relationships.

Last 12 months
—
Product timeline
2014
Novo Banco, S.A. established by the Bank of Portugal as a 'bridge bank' to absorb the healthy assets of the failed Banco Espírito Santo (BES).· pivot
2017
Lone Star Funds acquired a 75% stake in Novobanco; Fundo de Resolução retained 25%.· acquisition
Regulated entities
1
regulatory licence held by Novobanco
Licence types, jurisdictions and registered entities are in the Embedded Finance Index report.
The stack
1 layer disclosed in Novobanco’s embedded-finance stack
Lending
Crédito Online para Negócios (online business credit, 48h approval)Factoring / Invoice discounting (Factoring e confirming)Financiamento por Livrança (promissory note short-term financing)Adiantamento Ajudas IFAP (agricultural subsidy advance credit line)
Accounting gap: significant

Novobanco — frequently asked

Where is Novobanco headquartered?

Novobanco is founded in 2014 and headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal.

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