Greek Daily News 16/07/2024

ECONOMY

-Scope Ratings GmbH affirmed Greece’s long-term issuer and senior unsecured debt-category ratings at BBB-, in both local- and in foreign-currency, and revised the Outlooks to Positive, from Stable.

-The Output Price Index in Agriculture – Livestock (excluding subsidies) increased by 6.3% in May 2024, compared with May 2023, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) data showed.

-Starting January 2025, cryptocurrencies will be included in taxation and profits will be taxed as capital gains from the sale of securities at a rate of 15%, Kathimerini reported citing sources.

-Greece’s Alpha Services and Holdings S.A., 100% parent of Alpha Bank S.A. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Alpha International Holdings S.MS.A. has entered into a definitive agreement with UniCredit S.p.A. regarding the sale of 90.1% of Alpha Bank Romania S.A to UniCredit to be followed by the merger of the parties’ Romanian subsidiaries.

-For the enterprises of the economy as a whole, obliged to double-entry accounting bookkeeping,
on a monthly basis, the turnover in May 2024 amounted to 30,839,136 thousand euro, recording an increase of 1.5% in comparison with May 2023, ELSTAT said. The biggest increase in turnover was recorded from the enterprises of the section Accommodation and Food Service Activities, per 14.8%.

REAL ESTATE

In Q1 2024, house sale prices in Greece posted the third largest annual increase (10.4%) in the European Union, behind only Poland (18%) and Bulgaria (16%), Eurostat data showed.

CULTURE

In March 2024 museums recorded a 16.5% annual increase in the number of visitors, and an 21.6% decrease in the number of free admission visitors, as well as a 31.7% increase in their receipts, ELSTAT said. As regards archaeological sites, an increase of 41.3% was recorded in the number of visitors, of 17.6% in the number of free admission visitors and of 71.4% in the corresponding receipts.

TOURISM

-The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and Netflix, one of the world’s leading entertainment services, signed a memorandum of cooperation to promote Greece, through the production of a promotional video which EOT will use for its activities. Additionally, EOT will have the opportunity to utilize the US streamer’s material to create new content.

-Greece is the fourth most popular destination in European tourists’ plans for vacations to be taken between now and November this year, a new study by the European Travel Commission (ΕTC) reveals.