Caixa Económica review
Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Caixa Económica is a Cape Verde cooperative bank that suits students, microentrepreneurs and residents who want everyday banking, savings and credit in the same place. It has traded since 1928 as a direct lender, and its prepaid card costs CVE 1,500 a month.
Key facts
- Best for
- A prepaid Visa card alongside fixed savings and direct-lender credit, with support by email and phone in Cape Verde.
- Monthly fee
- CVE 1,500↗
- Card type
- Prepaid↗
- Top-up fee
- 400 CVE per load↗
- Card network
- Visa↗
- Legal entity
- Caixa Economica de Cabo Verde↗
- Headquarters
- Cabo Verde↗
- Founded
- 1928↗
- Support channels
- Email, Phone↗
- Features
- Same-day funding
- Audience
- Students
- Official website
- caixa.cv
Loans
- Loan amount
- CVE 500,000↗
- Lender type
- Direct lender↗
- Eligibility
- Microentrepreneurs and low-income earners with small formal or informal businesses; Caixa Ordenado open to resident individuals or collectives over 18 with an effective work contract↗
- Loan types
- Personal, Credit-line, Secured, Car, Student, Business, Guarantor↗
Savings
Mortgages
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 8 sources
Pros and cons
Pros
- The card is a prepaid card on the visa network, so everyday spending works on a widely accepted network.
- Credit runs to CVE 500,000 with same-day funding, and the bank lends as a direct lender rather than through a broker.
- Savings pay a fixed rate while early mobilisation stays permitted, so the balance is not locked away for the full term.
Cons
- Every load costs 400 CVE per load, which adds up for anyone who tops up often.
- The card carries a monthly fee of CVE 1,500, while JMMB Moneyline and JMMB Money Transfer prepaid card charges JMD 0 and CrediMax Cardy EX prepaid Visa charges BHD 0.
- The card is aimed at a student audience, so other groups get less from the product.
Who it suits
- Students in Cape Verde who want a prepaid card and somewhere to save.
- Homebuyers and rental property buyers, since credit runs to a 100% maximum loan to value.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone set on a card with no monthly charge: CrediMax Cardy EX prepaid Visa charges BHD 0.
- Euro wallet users who prefer a different fee structure: Skrill charges a monthly fee of €5.
- Savers who want instant access to the whole balance, since the savings account is fixed.
How Caixa Económica compares
9.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 8.9
9.4 vs 9.4
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9.4 vs 8.8Skrill charges a monthly fee of €5, a euro wallet fee rather than a Cape Verde card fee.
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 8.6
9.4 vs 8.3
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9.4 vs 9.0
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9.4 vs 8.4
9.4 vs 8.0- 9.4 vs 8.0
Where Caixa Económica is available
- Available
- Cabo Verde
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 29, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to hold the card?+
The prepaid card carries a monthly fee of CVE 1,500, and every load costs 400 CVE per load. Both apply together, so the load charge is worth weighing against how often the balance gets topped up, not just against the monthly amount.
Can I take money out of the savings account before the term ends?+
Yes. Early mobilisation is permitted at any time before the end of the contractual term, and the balance can be moved through Caixanet and Caixa Mobile. The account is fixed and needs a minimum deposit of CVE 10,000 to open.
What kind of card is it and where does it work?+
It is a prepaid card on the visa network, aimed at a student audience. Prepaid means the balance loaded is the balance spent, which suits anyone who wants to cap what a card can take. Card questions go to email and phone.
Can I borrow against a property?+
Credit against property runs to a 100% maximum loan to value, and the stated purposes are buying a home and buying a rental property. The wider credit list covers personal, credit line, secured, car, student, business and guarantor lending alongside that.
How do I get hold of the bank?+
Support runs on email and phone, so email and phone are the routes offered. Savings balances can also be moved through Caixanet and Caixa Mobile. The legal entity behind the accounts is Caixa Economica de Cabo Verde, based in Cabo Verde.
How much do I need to start saving?+
A minimum deposit of CVE 10,000 opens the account, and it pays a fixed rate. That starting point is the figure to weigh against what the same balance would earn elsewhere, from a bank founded in 1928.
What do the alternative cards charge?+
Skrill charges a monthly fee of €5, while CrediMax Cardy EX prepaid Visa charges BHD 0 and JMMB Moneyline and JMMB Money Transfer prepaid card charges JMD 0. The currencies differ, so treat the totals as a starting point rather than a direct ranking.
Sources
- directus-cms-uploads.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/productio... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Top-up fee, Monthly fee
“Cartoes Visa Pre-Pago Plus - Anuidade n/a 1500,00”
- caixa.cv checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters
- caixa.cv/contacts checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Legal entity, Support channels
“E-mail: caixa@caixa.cv - Telefone: (+238) 260 3600”
- caixa.cv/financial-education/32 checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Card type, Card network
“benefits of Caixa's VISA Plus Prepaid Card - students can make purchases”
- caixa.cv/institution checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
- caixa.cv/micro-credit checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Loan amount, Eligibility, Features
- caixa.cv/private/credits checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Lender type, Loan types, Maximum loan to value, Purpose
“Possibility of financing up to 100% for the construction or acquisition of own permanent home, provided the repayment capacity allows (Credit Habitacao)”
- caixa.cv/private/saving-accounts checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Access terms, Account kind, Minimum deposit
“Early mobilisation, that is, before the end of the contractual term, is permitted at any moment; allows movement of the account through Caixanet and Caixa Mobile”
Compiled from 8 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Currency conversion fee, Free ATM withdrawals, Protection.
Related by the facts
Caixa Económica
A prepaid Visa card alongside fixed savings and direct-lender credit, with support by email and phone in Cape Verde.