Lusíadas Saúde became the main sponsor of the 96th Lisbon Book Fair (May 27 – June 14, 2026) in a three-year partnership with APEL. The partnership centers on health literacy and the connection between reading and health. Lusíadas Saúde will manage the medical post at the fair, name the central auditorium, and participate as premier sponsor of the Book 2.0 event in September 2026.
The article explores a new wave of European fintech companies moving beyond sleek user interfaces to build integrated financial operating systems for small and medium-sized businesses. Wamo, founded in 2021, exemplifies this shift by focusing on connecting banking, invoicing, payroll, and other financial tools into one seamless platform. The company aims to reach 100,000 companies across Europe and €50m ARR by 2027, leveraging AI for underwriting, risk assessment, and personalized services rather than using AI merely as a chatbot feature.
UiPath Foundation, the non-profit organization of Romanian-American software robotics company UiPath, reported that in 2025 it provided over 67,000 hours of educational activities to children from vulnerable communities in Romania. The foundation launched the AI Generation curriculum in collaboration with MIT App Inventor Foundation and UNESCO, trained approximately 10,000 education professionals, and expanded long-term programs supporting 1,135 high school students (Caleidoscop), 228 children aged 11-15 (Salt Către Viitor), and distributed 14,570 scholarships.
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.
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.
A consortium of major French companies including investment firm Ardian, telecommunications company Orange, energy company EDF, consulting firm Capgemini, and others have formed AION to bid for the European AI Gigafactories program, representing France’s acceleration in AI infrastructure development
Limenet, a startup developing decarbonization technologies for hard-to-abate industries, partnered with Italian building materials group Fassa Bortolo on a 5 million euro co-development project for an electric kiln that reduces lime production emissions by approximately 22% compared to traditional fossil fuel methods. The deal follows a 7 million euro equity investment in Limenet by CDP Venture Capital and Fassa Bortolo in December 2025.
Satellite company ICEYE, led by Polish CEO Rafał Modrzewski, has officially entered an EU tender for the EOGS program aimed at building an EU security system.
Greenfiber, a subsidiary of Portuguese multinational Altri, presented new arguments to unblock its €1 billion industrial pulp mill project in Palas de Rei, Galicia. The company claims the future factory is energy self-sufficient and proposes alternative power supply solutions including cogeneration systems. This move contests the Galician authorities’ decision from February to archive the project due to lack of guaranteed electrical supply.
Sweden has ordered four FDI-class frigates from French defense company Naval Group for over 3.5 billion euros, marking the country’s largest military investment since the 1980s. The first frigate is expected to be delivered in 2030. This order comes as Sweden, which joined NATO in 2024, seeks to strengthen its armed forces to secure the Baltic Sea amid Russian threats following the invasion of Ukraine. Naval Group is also competing to supply frigates to the Portuguese Navy.