SANWA BANK ACQUIRES SMALL STAKE IN PORTUGUESE BANK Sanwa Bank Ltd <ANWA.T> has agreed to buy a two pct stake in Oporto-based <Banco Portugues de Investmento Sarl> (BPI), Portugal's largest merchant bank, a Sanwa official said. Sanwa will purchase the shares from International Finance Corp, a BPI shareholder and sister organisation of the World Bank, for 351 mln yen, he said. The acquisition will be completed this month as both the Japanese and Portuguse governments are expected to give permission soon. This is the first time a Japanese bank has bought a stake in a Portuguese bank. Sanwa plans to increase its stake in BPI to four pct, the ceiling for foreign shareholders, the official said. The bank has also agreed with <Banco Portugues do Atlantico>, a state-owned merchant bank in Oporto, to exchange information on customers and help accelerate Japanese investment and technological transfers to Portugal, he said.