Novacambios

What Novacambios does

NovaCâmbios is a Lisbon-headquartered licensed payment institution founded in 2000 that operates a multi-country physical branch network providing currency exchange, international money transfer, tax-free VAT refund assistance, and prepaid Mastercard card services. Its core product is no-commission foreign currency exchange across more than 60 currencies, complemented by remittance services delivered through agency partnerships with MoneyGram, Western Union, Real Transfer, and Goo Transfer. The company also issues the Just For U prepaid Mastercard program (Consumer, Business, and Exclusive variants) in collaboration with Prepaid Financial Services, supporting multi-currency balances in EUR, USD, GBP, and BRL with contactless and 3D Secure functionality.

The business operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries in Portugal (Agência de Câmbios, S.A.), France (Bureau de Change SAS), Angola (Casa de Câmbios, SARL), Namibia (Bureau de Change, PTY Limited), and Mozambique (Casa de Câmbios, Lda), with additional reported presence in Spain and Sweden, and is supervised by the central bank in each jurisdiction. According to the source material, the network spans roughly 50 to 80 branches and employs approximately 400 people; customer touchpoints include physical branches, a multilingual website (Portuguese, English, French, Spanish), and the RealTransfer mobile app.

NovaCâmbios monetizes primarily through transactional revenue: spreads on currency exchange, per-transaction fees on money transfers, prepaid card issuance and annual/loading/withdrawal fees, VAT refund commissions via Premier TaxFree/Global Blue/Innova TaxFree, and ancillary fees from PagAqui mobile top-ups and Ultraserve internet/telephone services. The customer base is dominated by walk-in retail consumers, supplemented by approximately 1,000 enterprise clients across various sectors served by the Serviço Empresas B2B channel in Portugal and France, and association-driven partnerships (AIRV, ACP) that provide preferential terms to member businesses.

Name

Novacambios

Legal name

NovaCâmbios – Instituição de Pagamento SA

Website

https://novacambios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

NovaCâmbios is a Lisbon-headquartered licensed payment institution founded in 2000 operating roughly 50–80 physical branches across Portugal, France, Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Spain, and Sweden, providing no-commission currency exchange, international money transfers (MoneyGram, Western Union, Real Transfer, Goo Transfer), tax-free VAT refunds, and Just For U prepaid Mastercard cards to retail consumers, expatriates, and ~1,000 enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Currency Exchange & Cross-Border Remittance Services

NAICS

Credit Card Issuing (522210)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Remittances & Retail FX (Consumer Cross-Border) (FSABAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Border & FX Payments Platforms (BPAMAFAK), Embedded Card Issuing & Card-as-a-Service (FSAGALAC), Card Issuing & Virtual Cards (lodge cards, single-use, tokenization) (THALAHAB), Alternative Payments & Digital Wallet Acceptance (A2A, RTP, wallets) (THALAHAH)

Keywords

• Currency exchange services
• International money transfer
• Prepaid card issuance
• Tax free refunds
• Payment institution services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Currency Exchange Spread: Revenue generated from buying and selling foreign currency based on market prices for each currency. No commission charged on transactions regardless of amount.
2. Money Transfer Services: Revenue from money transfer services through partnerships with MoneyGram, Western Union, Real Transfer, and Goo Transfer, charging fees for international money transfers.
3. Prepaid Card Fees: Revenue from prepaid card sales (14€ Consumer, 9.50€ Business), annual fees, loading fees (1.65-1.85%), withdrawal fees (2.25% in foreign currencies), and purchase fees (0.90€ in foreign currency countries).
4. Enterprise Services: Customized currency exchange services for businesses with competitive pricing, free delivery, and no commission.
5. Tax Free Services: VAT refund services for non-resident shoppers through partnerships with Premier TaxFree, Global Blue, and Innova TaxFree.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NovaCâmbios is a licensed payment institution whose core business is buying and selling foreign currency (more than 60 currencies) at branch counters and via its Câmbios Online platform, with no commission on exchange transactions. Around this core, it distributes international money transfer services (MoneyGram, Western Union, Real Transfer, Goo Transfer), issues Just For U Mastercard prepaid cards in Consumer, Business, and Exclusive variants, and offers VAT Tax Free refunds plus ancillary mobile top-up, internet, and telephone services.

Product overview

Novacambios is a currency exchange and money transfer institution offering a multi-product portfolio centered on its core currency exchange service (Câmbios), complemented by money transfer services (MoneyGram, Real Transfer, Western Union, Goo Transfer), enterprise business services, and prepaid card programs (Just For U Consumer, Business, and Exclusive — all issued via Prepaid Financial Services on the Mastercard network). Additional ancillary services include Tax Free VAT refund assistance, mobile charging (PagAqui), and internet/telephone access (via Ultraserve). The company operates physical branches across 7 countries (Portugal, France, Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Spain, and Sweden) and offers both in-branch and digital access channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RealTransfer: Money transfer service available in Portugal and Namibia, allowing transfers to Angola, Brazil, Namibia, Portugal, USA, and Europe.

Quantifiable outcome

• Present in 5 countries with 50+ stores
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Goo TransfercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2014Goo Transfer is a 100% Angolan financial institution authorized by the National Bank of Angola, created in December 2014. NovaCâmbios Angola offers Goo Transfer services for remittances to Portugal, Europe, Brazil, and USA.
• Montepio GeralcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Partnership with Montepio Geral, Portugal's oldest bank, established at NovaCâmbios founding in 2000 to support the company's development and establishment as a reference company in the currency exchange segment.
• MoneyGramcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMoneyGram is a global leader in worldwide money transfer services with 293,000 locations across 197 countries. NovaCâmbios offers MoneyGram services at its Portugal and France branches, providing customers with fast and secure international money transfers.
• Western UnioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWestern Union has been in business for over 150 years with more than 480,000 points of sale and agents in over 200 countries. Available at NovaCâmbios France and Namibia branches.
• Real TransfercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReal Transfer is a Portuguese payment institution based in Lisbon with offices in Angola and Namibia. NovaCâmbios offers Real Transfer services in Portugal and Namibia for transfers to Angola, Brazil, Namibia, Portugal, and Europe.
• AIRV – Associação Empresarial da Região de ViseuminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNovaCâmbios signed a protocol with AIRV (Business Association of Viseu Region) offering special advantages for all associated members.
• ACP – Automóvel Clube de PortugalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNovaCâmbios signed a protocol with ACP (Automobile Club of Portugal) offering special advantages for all ACP members.
• Prepaid Financial ServicescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPrepaid Financial Services issues Just For U prepaid cards under Mastercard license. Regulated by Financial Conduct Authority (FCA registration 900036) based in London.
• Premier TaxFreeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTax Free VAT refund service partner available at select NovaCâmbios Portugal locations in Lisbon, Porto, Braga, and Aveiro.
• Global BlueminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTax Free VAT refund service partner available at select NovaCâmbios Portugal locations.
• Innova TaxFreeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTax Free VAT refund service partner available at select NovaCâmbios Portugal locations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Currencies Direct: Specialist FX and international payments provider serving both retail and corporate customers across Europe. Comparable to Novacambios's blend of consumer FX and ~1,000-company enterprise services.
• Travelex: Global currency exchange and travel money specialist operating physical bureaux and digital FX platforms. Most directly comparable to Novacambios in core currency exchange, multi-currency prepaid cards, and international branch footprint.
• Western Union: Global leader in cross-border money transfers with 480,000+ agent locations. Novacambios is itself a Western Union agent in France and Namibia, and competes head-on in the consumer remittance segment it also distributes.
• MoneyGram: Global money transfer network with 293,000+ locations across 197 countries. Directly comparable to Novacambios in remittance corridors, and a current distribution partner in Portugal.
• Ria Money Transfer: International remittance company with a large agent footprint and strong presence in Lusophone and African corridors. Comparable to Novacambios's cross-border consumer money transfer business.
• Eurochange: UK and European bureau de change network offering currency exchange and remittances through physical branches. Closely comparable business model and customer base to Novacambios's European operations.
• International Currency Exchange (ICE): Long-established global currency exchange and prepaid card provider with airport and high-street locations. Comparable in product mix (FX + prepaid cards) and physical distribution model.
• Small World Money Transfer: Specialist remittance provider with deep roots in African and emerging-market corridors. Directly comparable to Novacambios's Angola, Namibia, and Mozambique remittance flows.

Emerging players

• Wise (TransferWise): Digital-first cross-border payments and multi-currency account provider. An emerging disruptive peer targeting the same retail FX and remittance customers Novacambios serves via physical branches.
• Remitly: Digital remittance specialist focused on immigrant corridors, including Africa. Competes with Novacambios's Lusophone Africa remittance business through an app-only model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Novacambios_ES
• Facebookfacebook.com/novacambiosportugal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Novacambios