Portugal’s business leaders gather to debate how the country should build on its growth

The five-venue Portugal Investment Forum has united industrial families, emerging-sector
founders and global investors together to plot the nation’s future

LISBON, PORTUGAL, October 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The inaugural Portugal Investment Forum has been hailed a huge success as the string of national events concluded in Porto.

Held over nine days, the event attracted more than 300 influential guests, including over 150 investors and family offices, to ask how Portugal can convert a decade of strong growth into lasting prosperity for its people.

The Portugal Investment Forum started in the Algarve on October 1 with events in Lagos and Quinta do Lago. It then headed to Lisbon, Estoril and, finally, Porto on October 9.

The audience and panel members took part in 15 carefully curated panel sessions, each followed by an expert round-table clinic.

All looked to tackle the questions defining Portugal’s economic trajectory: what is really driving growth, who is investing and why, which emerging sectors hold the greatest promise, and why global capital should choose Portugal over competing destinations.

Rogério Fernandes Ferreira, founder of RFF Lawyers and former Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs, told those at the Lisbon event: “Investment is built on confidence, and confidence comes from clarity, predictability and trust.

“Portugal has the ingredients. Its next challenge is making sure they work together.”

Ricardo Assunção, board member of Amorim Luxury Group, also underscored the benefits of the quality of life Portugal offers, explaining: “Investors first choose where they want to live, then the investment comes.”

Among those who appeared at the final event in Porto was Sílvia Mota, CEO at MEXT, chairwoman and CEO at Emerge, and co-founder of Moon Capital.

Entrepreneurs, fund managers, trade body leaders, and senior figures in Portuguese business were joined by leaders from education, health, business associations, impact investing, real estate, sport, culture, tourism and inward investment at the forums.

Key messages delivered on the stage included a desire to ensure Portugal’s continued growth was not held up by administrative delays, to take steps to retain the nation’s talent to drive progress, and to address concerns over housing.

Peter Villax, CEO at Mediceus, partner at Biovance Capital and former president of the Family Business Association, described the forum as a “world-class” event and a “hugely valuable national conversation for Portugal”.

“Portugal has seen a gradual and consistent economic uplift that has been building for more than a decade, but this national discussion has highlighted the challenges and opportunities of Portugal’s next chapter,” says Paul Stannard, chairman and founder of event organisers Portugal Pathways and the Portugal Investment Owners Club.

“Some of the common themes have been around how the country continues to attract talent and investment while ensuring its people see and feel the benefits.

“We have deliberately taken this national debate around the country, and what we look forward to most is sharing the outputs with a clear set of objectives.

“We want these events to have been more than just words; so it is carried through into collective execution. We’ve celebrated what is working and been honest about the areas that need attention.

“And because every debate and interview is being filmed, this is a conversation the whole of Portugal and international investors from around the globe can follow, not just the people in the room.”

The forum has also welcomed Portugal’s big-wave surfer Hugo Vau; widely regarded as having ridden the largest wave ever surfed; an estimated 35-metre giant at Nazaré in 2018.

Vau – an ambassador to the Portugal Investment Owners Club – was a special guest, highlighting the power of harnessing the spirit of Portugal.

He explained: “The feat I am known for took years of planning and a huge team effort. Without it, my hopes of riding that wave would have failed.

“Portugal needs that collective energy and determination to all pull together to ensure it can stay on the wave of economic success it has worked so hard to ride.

“To make that sustainable, you have to ensure everyone can feel the benefits, so everyone pulls in the same direction; demonstrating that Portugal is stronger than the sum of its parts.”

The contents and findings of the forum will be shared in a series of reports and media releases over the coming weeks.

That will include video of the 15 panel sessions, along with more than 100 interviews from those attending.

All will be available through Portugal Pathways and the Portugal Investment Owners Club.

Further information will also be available on the Portugal Investment Forum website by the end of the week commencing October 12.
The debate will not end there, however.

It was announced by organisers at the final forum, in Porto, that next year will see the staging of the inaugural Portugal Investment Summit.

It will bring together over 1,000 institutional and sophisticated investors along with other key players from across the world to take the nation’s progress to the next level. Further details will be released in due course.

Oakie Britcher
Portugal Pathways
oakie.britcher@portugalpathways.io
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