Renato Jorge Pistola is currently, within the scope of CEEC (FCT), Researcher Fellow at ICS, developing his work on the behaviour of the Portuguese informal credit markets, in particularly the study of his functioning and agents during the early 19th century, as well as his contribution for the shaping of the modern banking system in Portugal.

He holds a PhD in Contemporary History (University of Lisbon, 2018) with a thesis on Mutual Associations Entre Mutualismo e Capitalismo. Os Caminhos do Montepio Geral (1840-1930), supported by the FCT (FCT (SFRH / BD / 72883/2010). His dissertation was a case study of the Portuguese mutual association and saving bank Montepio Geral, by far the most successful history of the Portuguese’s savings banks. The thesis was constructed to compare his successful history with the alleged failure of most of savings banks in Portugal.

He won a award by the European Savings and Retail Banking Group in the Savings & Retail History Academic Award (2012) for his work «Growing from Crises. The Portuguese Saving Bank Montepio Geral in the nineteenth-century»

His research is being developed in the various aspects of 19th century’s associations, in particular the friendly societies. In particular, he is particularly interested in the study of friendly societies both as agents of social protection (mostly as health care providers) and banking (saving banks) and credit agents (pawn shops). In this regard he co-authored the monograph Sob o Signo do Pelicano. História do Montepio Geral 1840-2015 (2015), on the portuguese saving bank Montepio Geral, as also he co-authored the monograph Anatomia de uma Associação. A CSC-ASMECL entre 1872 e 2017 (2017) on the history of a friendly society mostly as a health care provider. 

In a broader scope, he was co-coordinator of the book Primeiros Escritos de Economia (2018), the 18th volume of the collection Obras Pioneiras da Cultura Portuguesa, an annotated edition of three pioneer works on the Portuguese economic thought.

Research Areas: Contemporary History; Economic History; Banking History; Finantial History; Informal Finantial Markets.