"If it is convenient and if we understand, together with our partner [Unitel], that the opening of capital on the stock exchange in Angola is a possibility - and we clearly welcome this possibility - this could also be one of the solutions for the situation we have", stated João Pedro Oliveira e Costa during the press conference to present BPI's first quarter results.
So far, according to the CEO, "there is no evolution" regarding BPI's position at BFA: "We maintain close contact with our partner, Unitel, and also with the Angolan authorities, who know perfectly well what the of the BPI", he said.
According to him, BPI intends to "maintain some tranquility, due to the good functioning that BFA has had". "BFA has behaved fantastically and, therefore, we do not want to be a disturbing factor either. We are attentive, but also, in a way, we are calm, it is not a topic that worries us at the moment", he concluded.
BPI has held 48.1 percent of BFA since the beginning of 2017, when it sold 2 percent of the bank to the operator Unitel by imposition of the European Central Bank (ECB), which considers that Angolan supervision is not equivalent to European supervision. However, since then the European supervisor's recommendation for BPI to further reduce its exposure to Angola has been maintained.
Regarding the contribution of 14 million euros, in the first quarter, of the stake in BFA to BPI's consolidated income – which amounted to 49 million euros – João Pedro Oliveira e Costa explained that it is "due to the appreciation of the kwanza".
As he advanced, BPI has not yet received dividends from Angola for 2021, but expects this to happen "in the coming months".
Asked by journalists about an acquisition of Novo Banco, the executive chairman of BPI reiterated that the bank is "totally focused on growing organically".
"My shareholder, Mr. Gonçalo Gortázar [executive chairman of CaixaBank], was very clear on this topic. At the moment we are fully focused on growing organically and developing activity in Portugal, concentrated through the BPI platform, and that is our central scenario", he maintained.
"I don't think it's positive, nor does it add anything at all, for me to say anything more than that, because it has no support. It has already been said and I do not want to strictly add anything else to what has been said", he emphasized.
