| Dona Branca | |
| Birth Name: | Maria Branca dos Santos |
| Birth Date: | 1902 |
| Birth Place: | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Nationality: |  Portugal |
| Alias: | Dona Branca |
| Motive: | Fraud, Forgery |
| Conviction Penalty: | 10 years in jail |
Maria Branca dos Santos, more commonly referred to as "Dona" Branca[1] (1902 - 1992), was a Portuguese criminal known chiefly for maintaining a Ponzi scheme in Portugal between 1970 and 1984 that paid a ten percent monthly interest.[2] During this time she became popularly known as "The people's banker".[3]
Dona Branca was arrested in 1984, and in 1988 she was sentenced to 10 years in prison.[4] She was one of the last inmates of Convento das Mónicas when it was dismantled in 1989.
In 1993 RTP created a telenovela titled A Banqueira do Povo ("The People's Banker") based on these events with Eunice Muñoz playing the role of the title character, in this case Dona Benta.