The European Union on Tuesday proposed making it harder for states to pour billions of euros of aid into an ailing bank, as Italy did with Monte dei Paschi di Siena six years ago. Proposals from the EU’s executive seek to ensure that banks hold enough resources, in particular debt …
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Banks in Greece to freeze mortgage rates for one year
Banks in Greece are reportedly set to freeze mortgage rates for one year and will bear the cost of containing interest on loans to the level it was at end-March. Banks are stopping any further rises in mortgage rates, freezing interest rates at a date reportedly set for March 31. …
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Varoufakis: “Let the banks burn”
Secretary General of MeRA25 Yanis Varoufakis greeted the party’s 5th anniversary with an article entitled “Let the banks burn.” In his article in the monthly column in Project Syndicate, the former finance minister referred to the shocks of the banking system, judging that it cannot be corrected. “That’s the bad …
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Stournaras: Greek banks’ exposure to Credit Suisse “almost zero”
The exposure of Greek banks to Credit Suisse is “almost zero,” Greek central bank chief Yannis Stournaras told Reuters on Monday. “They (the Greek banks) are not exposed to Credit Suisse’s Additional Tier 1,” Stournaras, who also sits on the ECB’s 26-member Governing Council, said. He added that Greek banks …
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Officials: “Greek banks guarantee deposits, system is shielded”
Greek government officials appeared reassuring regarding the global banking turbulence’s triggered by the crisis in Credit Suisse and the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank and some other US banks. “Our banks guarantee deposits,: said government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou on Thursday adding that “the Greek banking system and our economy …
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Greece’s systemic banks proposal on subsidizing low-income borrowers
Greece’s four systemic banks released a proposal to help vulnerable borrowers meet their monthly installments, outlining the plan and their contribution to the Greek economy in a joint statement on Thursday. The move follows meetings with Finance Minister Christos Staikouras, who along with the PM, has pressured banks to assume …
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Greek banks get deadline to increase/decrease rates for deposits/loans
Finance Minister Christos Staikouras gave the banks 10 days to proceed “immediately and bravely” with an increase in interest rates on deposits and a reduction in interest rates on new loans. He described the 4.86% interest rate on new loans in October as “unacceptable.” Speaking to Skai TV on Saturday, …
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FinMin Staikouras puts pressure on Greek banks to support debtors, depositors
Greek banks must come up with proposals to actively support citizens who face a lot of financial pressures due to high inflation and the rise in the cost of money, Greek Finance Minister Christos Staikouras told them on Thursday, giving bankers a two-week deadline to do so. According to a …
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Gov.gr Wallet IDs extended to banks, phone companies
Greek citizens will have the option to use the Gov.gr Wallet instead of their IDs at all banks and financial firms, as well as telephone companies, as of November 1, based on a Joint Ministerial Decision issued on October 28. The process for verifying the authenticity of digital documents will …
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ECB makes large interest rate hike, bank deposits at 1.5%
The European Central Bank piled on another outsized interest rate hike aimed at squelching out-of-control inflation, increasing rates Thursday at the fastest pace in the euro currency’s history and raising questions about how far the bank intends to go with the threat of recession looming over the economy. The 25-member …
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Corinth Canal to reopen for shipping in July following repair works
The Corinth Canal will reopen for ships in July, the Hellenic Corporation of Assets and Participations SA (HCAP) said on Wednesday. The reopening will be temporary, though, over the summer and will shut down again for a few months in autumn in order to complete repair works and stabilize the …
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Agricultural Minister urges banks to increase funding of primary sector investments
Greece’s Agricultural Minister has urged banks to increase the funding of primary sector investments. Speaking at the annual AgriBusiness International Forum in Athens, Agriculture Development & Food Minister Spilios Livanos told the banking sector that it should assume its responsibilities. “It would be a historic mistake if the banking system …
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Greece exposed to increased risks from climate change, says ECB-ESRB report
Banks in Greece, Spain and Portugal face increased risks from the climate change, according to a joint report by the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) published on July 1. Greece and other southern EU countries are exposed to increased risks, on the one hand …
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Household and corporate deposits soar during Greece’s lockdown
Household and corporate deposits jumped 19.6 billion euros during the pandemic, showing that the freeze on consumption combined with the state support measures served as a safety cushion for liquidity in the private sector. The additional cash flow during the successive lockdowns will be the driving force behind the economy’s …
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Obama’s memoirs: The Greek debt crisis, German and French banks
In his memoirs, “A Promised Land,” former Us President Barack Obama makes also some reference to the Greek debt crisis and the way in which the major European powers chose to deal with the situation. In his memoir that was released on Tuesday, Obama writes: “I noticed that they rarely …
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Greek banks extend suspension of loan payments for businesses & individuals
Greek banks, members of the Hellenic Bank Association, on Tuesday announced the extension of measures to support enterprises and individuals hit directly and indirectly by the pandemic crisis and of a moratorium on debt payments until December 31, 2020. In an announcement, the banks said they remained steadfast on the …
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Greek banks raise limit for contactless card payments without PIN
The Hellenic Association of Banks announced on Thursday that the banks increase the limit for contactless payments with debit, credit cards and prepaid cards without using PIN. The limit is raised from 25 euros today to 50 euros. The measure will be implemented from Monday, March 30 until Sunday May …
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Greek Banks restrict several transactions at the counter due to COVID-19, lockdown
The Hellenic Association of Banks has decided to impose a series of measures to restrict contact between customers and the staff of the banking sector. The Association urges customers to make use of e-banking and their credit or debit cards at ATMs, as several trasnactions are suspended at the counters …
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Competition watchdog confirms raids to banks, Bank Association
Greece’s Competition Committee, an independent authortity, confirmed on Friday that it had raided all the country’s major banks a day earlier as part of an investigation into collaboration between lenders. Inspectors raided the head offices of National, Piraeus, Alpha, Attica and Eurobank, along with the offices of the Greek bank …
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Greek banks withdraw part of the extra charges for customer services
One after the other, the four Greek systemic banks announced the withdrawal of part of the extra charges for customer services that used to be free of charge. The National Bank, the Piraeus Bank, the Alpha Bank and the Eurobank declared that they will not charge a fee for the …
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