Avatar photoMarco Bianchi

Marco covers Southern Europe's vibrant and fast-growing startup landscape. Based in Milan, he reports on funding rounds, product launches and ecosystem developments across Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus, with a keen eye for foodtech, mobility and consumer innovation.

KickstartAI Extends Partnership with Dutch Giants Through 2029, Doubling Down on AI Implementation

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KickstartAI, founded in 2019 by Ahold Delhaize, ING, KLM and NS, extended its partnership agreement with these founding members until 2029. The organization focuses on accelerating AI adoption in practice across various sectors, with successful implementations including baggage detection for NS, package volume prediction for Bol, digital financial guidance for ING, and food waste reduction planning for KLM. The new phase aims to broaden the partner network to additional sectors and organizations.

KPMG Portugal Launches Managed Services Division to Scale Enterprise AI Implementation

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KPMG Portugal announced the launch of its Managed Services division focused on helping organizations transform AI adoption from isolated pilots to scalable, governed operations. The launch is aligned with an IDC study showing 98% of business leaders consider AI implementation critical, 91% see Managed Services as relevant for agentic AI delivery, and 87% have integrated these models into their digital transformation strategies.

Portuguese Development Bank Deploys €1.15 Billion in Storm Relief as Recovery Efforts Accelerate

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Portuguese development bank BPF has disbursed 1.15 billion euros to 6,000 companies affected by devastating storms in January-February 2026, with plans to reach 2 billion euros in total support across 90 municipalities. The bank is also introducing new instruments for exports, investment, growth, and quality job creation.

Iran Launches Bitcoin-Powered Maritime Insurance Platform to Bypass International Sanctions

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Iran launched Hormuz Safe, a digital maritime insurance platform paid exclusively in bitcoin, to issue compliance certificates for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The platform aims to circumvent SWIFT sanctions and international financial systems. The product is described by experts as a ‘political toll’ rather than traditional maritime insurance, covering geopolitical risks like inspections and ship seizures rather than standard maritime damages. International maritime lawyers warn the practice may violate the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea regarding freedom of navigation.

Portuguese Development Bank Distributes €72 Million in Advance Payments to Over 1,100 Companies

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Banco Português de Fomento made advance payments of 72 million euros to 1,113 companies under the IFIC program covering reindustrialization, defense and security, and AI sectors. This represents 30% of approved support, with remaining 70% to be paid upon validation of expenses during investment execution. The bank has approved projects for nearly 3,000 companies totaling over 2.2 billion euros in investment, with approximately 1,500 contracts currently in execution representing 436 million euros in eligible investment.

Portuguese Retail Giant Sonae Posts 11% Profit Growth in Q1 2026, Achieves Record Quarterly Revenue

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Sonae, the Portuguese retail conglomerate, reported strong Q1 2026 results with 47 million euros in profits (up 11% YoY) and record quarterly consolidated revenue of 2.7 billion euros. The company achieved improved profitability with EBITDA margins expanding from 9.8% to 10.4%, driven by growth across all retail operations and store expansion. Net debt decreased to 1.7 billion euros, reflecting strong cash flow generation and continued deleveraging.

Portuguese Executive Pedro Penalva Named CEO of Aon’s Latin America Region

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Aon, the world’s second largest insurance broker, appointed Portuguese executive Pedro Penalva as CEO of its Latin America region, effective July 1, 2026. Penalva previously served as CEO of Enterprise Clients for EMEA and brings over 15 years of experience at Aon, having held positions including CEO for Iberia, Africa, and Israel, and CEO of Aon Portugal.

European Banking Consortium Expands Qivalis to 37 Members Ahead of Euro Stablecoin Launch

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Qivalis, a consortium of European banks based in Amsterdam, has expanded to 37 member institutions from 15 countries to develop a euro-denominated stablecoin as an alternative to dollar-dominated stablecoins. The initiative plans to launch a regulated stablecoin in the second half of 2024, subject to regulatory approval. Portuguese banks are notably absent from the project so far, though it includes major banks from Spain, France, Italy, and Nordic countries.

Israeli AI Agent Startup NanoCo Secures $12 Million Seed Funding to Build Enterprise-Grade AI Assistants

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NanoCo AI has raised $12 million in seed funding to commercialize NanoClaw, an open source enterprise-friendly AI agent harness. The company aims to provide enterprises with secure, one-to-one ‘professional assistant’ AI agents for each employee that build personalized knowledge graphs and execute tasks within sandboxed Docker environments. NanoClaw remains MIT Licensed open source while NanoCo AI offers managed commercial services.