Renato Jorge Pistola holds a PhD in History, specializing in Contemporary History, from the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon (2018) with a thesis on Portuguese mutualism Entre Mutualismo e Capitalismo. The Paths of Montepio Geral (1840-1930) supported by FCT (SFRH / BD / 72883 / 2010).

This course analyzed the reasons for the success of the mutualist association and its savings bank Montepio Geral in comparison with the limited implementation of savings banks in Portugal. It was within this framework that he saw his work "Growing from Crises. The Portuguese Saving Bank Montepio Geral in the nineteenth-century" was awarded the Savings & Retail History Academic Award (2012) by the European Savings and Retail Banking Group.

Currently, within the scope of the CEEC (FCT), he is an Assistant Researcher at the ICS, developing his work in the area of the Portuguese credit market of the 19th century, in particular on the functioning and agents of 19th century informal credit, as well as its relationship with the emergence of the modern banking system in Portugal.

Throughout his career, he has focused his work on the 19th century and developed his research into the various aspects of 19th century associations, particularly mutualism. He is particularly interested in the study of mutualism in its twofold realization. He analyzes mutual associations as agents of social protection, in particular their role as health care providers, a work reflected in the monograph Anatomy of an Association. CSC-ASMECL between 1872 and 2017 (2017). On the other hand, He studies their work as financial and banking agents, both in the creation of pawnshops and the granting of credit, and in the founding of savings banks. This includes co-authoring the monograph Sob o Signo do Pelicano. História do Montepio Geral 1840-2015 (2015).

As part of a wider study, he was co-coordinator of the book Primeiros Escritos de Economia (2018), the 18th volume of the collection Obras Pioneiras da Cultura Portuguesa, a combined edition of the works Diálogos do Sítio de Lisboa (Luís Mendes de Vasconcelos), Notícias de Portugal (Discurso Primeiro) (Manuel Severim de Faria) and Discurso sobre a Introdução nas Artes no Reino (Duarte Ribeiro de Macedo).

Areas of activity: Contemporary History; Economic History; Banking History; Financial History; Informal Credit Markets.