However, since 2001 the building has again been occupied by BNU Timor, now a trading name of the Portuguese bank Caixa Geral de Depósitos.

As well as providing the usual services of a trading bank, the BNU issued Portuguese Timor's currency, initially the pataca, and later the escudo.

[1] The BNU was also an important investor in the colony: its investments included a holding in Sociedade Agrícola Pátria e Trabalho (SAPT), the largest Timorese enterprise.

The bank's Dili branch was even housed in SAPT's head office, until that building was destroyed by the Japanese during World War II.

Before long, the bank decided to restore its own building, partly because of its architectural and symbolic value within the context of Timor’s built heritage.