“Our interest in Portugal resulted from the basic strategy we intend to pursue, that of creating a bank focused on emerging markets. For us, the emerging markets are East Africa, the Ethiopia-Djibouti trade corridor, West Africa, mainly Portuguese-speaking African countries, the Middle East, specifically the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] and South Asia.”

“We have a two-pronged strategy. We want to continue to grow the group organically and also inorganically through acquisitions. Organic growth is occurring as part of our continued development and growth in the markets we cover from a banking perspective (West Africa, East Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East).”