He wanted to stress the importance of time in order to win the “race against the clock” against the coronavirus and its economic and social consequences. “That struggle is also about banking,” he said.
Thus, on 6 April he will meet with the presidents of the five large Portuguese banks (Caixa Geral de Burg, BCP, Santander, Novo Banco and BPI Bank) to understand their point of view and see to what extent they are willing to help them. However, the coronavirus has already affected the banks, as the Portuguese Government has given a period of six months to families and businesses that have difficulty paying their loans.