Greek Daily News 17/05/2024

ECONOMY

-Alpha Bank, one of the leading Groups of the financial sector in Greece, will distribute 1.1 billion euros until 2026 in the form of a dividend but also through a buyback to its shareholders, the CEO of the bank Vassilis Psaltis said during the presentation of the first-quarter results.

-Eurobank, Greece’s biggest lender by market value, aims to distribute a dividend of just over 9 cents per share (30% of its profits) for 2023, all in cash without repurchasing shares, CEO Fokion Karavias said during the teleconference held after the announcement of the bank’s results.

-The Greek banking sector is highly concentrated, with the four major banks owning 96% of all banking assets, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Greece told Christina Papakonstantinou said in a recent interview to the SSM newsletter. Furthermore, the Greek financial system is bank-centric, with the banking sector accounting for 86% of all assets in the broader financial sector.

BUSINESS

The Business Confidence Index (BCI) in Greek industry stood at 108.7 units in April (from 111.9 units a month earlier), the Foundation for Economic & Industrial Research’s (IOBE) Monthly Bulletin of Developments in Industry (May 2024) showed.

TRANSPORT

Transport for Athens (OASA) S.A. announced an overhaul of its network of night buses to improve services to passengers in the Greek capital, creating a new bus line (400) and extending the existing bus line 790, AMNA reported.

TOURISM

Aegean Airlines, the flag carrier of Greece, is offering a greater number of available seats during the summer season of 2024. This summer the airline, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, will have 13.4 million seats, up 6% from 2023, Yannis Rasoglou, director of Network and Airline Partnerships stated.

-Greek tourism is among the world’s top five brands, is the third biggest force in terms of the sun-sea product, and eighth in marine tourism, but when it comes to culture, it is not even among the top 10, Ioanna Dretta, the president of Marketing Greece, a private initiative aimed at promoting Greek tourism, and CEO of REDS told Kathimerini. “It is, therefore, clear that there’s a problem and a lot of missed opportunities.”

CULTURE

On Saturday (May 18) International Museum Day is celebrated with free admission to museums across Greece. Additionally, throughout May, museums and cultural institutions organise exhibitions, educational programs, and a plethora of events aimed at fostering cultural exchange and appreciation.