The Bank of Portugal expects the country’s economy to grow 0.9 percent in 2014, down a tenth of a percentage point on the government’s forecast. The Portuguese central bank estimates growth of 1.5 percent in 2015, in line with the government’s estimate, according to the bank’s Winter Economic Bulletin.

Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU) has launched East Timor’s first mobile wallet product, called BNU Mobile, in partnership with Timor Telecom, and with support from the United Nations’ Inclusive Finance for the Under-Served Economy (INFUSE) Programme and MicroSave, an international financial inclusion consulting firm.

China’s consumer prices grew at the slowest pace in five years in November as its factory gate price further declined, signalling room for more easing measures by the Chinese government.

The Governor of the Bank of Mozambique, Ernesto Gove, asked four banks operating in the country to offer more affordable interest rates to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), reports local newspaper Notícias.

The Bank of Cape Verde forecast that the country’s economy will grow between 1 percent and 2 percent in 2014 and as much as 3 percent in 2015, reports local newspaper A Semana.

China and Brazil are aiming for closer technological cooperation following the launch of a fifth satellite under a bilateral space cooperation programme.

Sonangol vows to reach target of 2 million oil barrels per day

China announced a total of 30 new projects worth 180 billion yuan (US$29.2 billion) to draw private capital in the form of public-private partnerships (PPPs), as it aims to cut local government debt.

The Government of Brazil has reduced its growth forecast for the country’s economy in 2015. In a new report, the Planning Ministry now forecasts the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow 0.8 percent next year, down from a previous estimate of 2 percent growth.

China’s exports rose 4.7 percent year-on-year to US$211.7 billion in November, the General Administration of Customs said on Monday. Imports stood at US$157.2 billion, down 6.7 percent from a year earlier, the biggest drop since March.

The Bank of China wants to make use of Macao’s role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries to “explore financial service [opportunities] in the markets of Portuguese-speaking countries,” said the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Ltd, Tian Guoli.

Slowing economic growth in China hit the external trade of Brazil, the world’s second largest iron ore exporter, according to the Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office of the Chinese Embassy in Brazil.