F. Karavias: Crete is an integrated economy – It can become a model for the country

The Management of Eurobank is carrying out a large-scale tour in all the prefectures of Crete, of the region that is a business locomotive of growth, with a substantial contribution in key sectors for the domestic economy and employment.

From Monday, June 20, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, Mr. Georgios Zanias and the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Fokion Karavias, accompanied by the Deputy Chief Executive Officers, Mr. Andrea Athanasopoulos, Konstantinos Vassileiou, Stavros Ioannou and a group of senior executives have numerous meetings with representatives of companies, local government and academia in Crete, while they will also visit all the Bank’s branches and services on the island.

Crete is a top business priority for Eurobank, which recognizes the strong growth potential and the role of this region as an integrated economy, a model of growth, innovation and extroversion for the domestic business community. Top industries such as tourism, agri-food, green energy, academic research and digital innovation, with a strong focus on highly trained human resources, create strong comparative advantages and a balanced productive base for Crete, with a key value in new development cycle.

Eurobank listens to the real needs of all its customers, whom it supports in practice, at every level, in a special situation for the Greek economy but also with a plethora of available resources through the Recovery & Resilience Fund, the new NSRF, the new Development Law and other programs, such as those provided in cooperation with the Hellenic Development Bank (eg Business Financing – EPIC II) and the European Investment Fund (eg “EIF Pan European Guarantee Fund” [(EGF])). It has always sought to offer healthy entrepreneurship, financial support, know-how, modern tools and high quality services, in order to facilitate the optimal use of all opportunities that serve the common national effort for a sustainable development in the country.

In this context, meetings are held with customers of large, medium and small businesses and private banking. In fact, the CEO of the Bank, Mr. Fokion Karavias, is hosting, today, in Heraklion and tomorrow in Chania, a working dinner for business clients, who will attend open discussions on the Subsidized and Co-financed Development Programs and will have the opportunity to ask questions. directly to the Bank’s Management, discussing solutions that meet the needs of their business.

The CEO, Mr. Fokion Karavias, stated: “Crete is an integrated economy. An economy that can become the model for all of Greece. Eurobank has set as its goal and reason for its existence, the support of the pioneers, those who go and create prosperity for all, of the pioneering companies in every industry and in every region, nowhere is this commitment, nowhere is this choice more meaningful than here in Crete, which is our business priority. We are expanding our activities here and supporting financially and with all our strength, all companies, to meet every need, and to take advantage of the unprecedented availability of resources that our country has in the coming years. “Collectively, we will establish a truly sustainable development for all.”

Eurobank actively participates in all emblematic infrastructure projects, such as the electricity interconnection of Crete with Attica, a project which it finances exclusively. At the same time, it records the largest share in new financing of small and medium enterprises, throughout Greece.

Aiming at total disbursements of 250 million euros for 2022, related to business financing in Crete, Eurobank:

– As a Tourism Bank, it implements interventions with a total value of 1.5 billion euros in the four years 2020 – 2024, with the aim of strengthening the tourism industry, with emphasis on the hotel sector. It also has, for the 12th consecutive year, the highly competitive Business Banking Tourism program. In Crete alone, more than 13,000 companies from the wider tourism industry have utilized Business Banking Tourism, a comprehensive Program of privileges, banking and non-banking services aimed at purely tourism businesses, throughout Greece, and all small and medium-sized enterprises operating in island areas and in Halkidiki. Corresponding programs have been created for the fields of agri-food, processing and e-commerce.

– It holistically supports the smaller companies in combination with the great financing possibilities that are provided through European resources and / or Greek programs. Since 2020, it has granted 18,500 loans totaling over 1.7 billion euros to companies with a turnover of up to 5 million euros, while in Crete alone during the last 4 years the Bank has granted more than 2,000 new loans to small and medium enterprises and professionals.

– Facilitates the implementation of investments with more than 800 specialized executives and special teams, with the participation of external partners. The Bank’s Professional Advisers have so far informed more than 40,000 customers, while 10,000 companies have already expressed interest in financing and participating in subsidized programs for their investments.

The Management is accompanied by Messrs. General Managers of the Bank, Retail Banking, Iakovos Giannaklis, Branch Network, Giannis Serafemidis, Commercial Banking, Andreas Hasapis, Marketing & Corporate Communication Group, Michalis Vlastarakis, as well as the Deputy General Managers, Dr. Tassos Anastasatos, Chief Economist of the Group, Mr. George Vareltzidis, Head of Private Management, Mr. Spyros Venetsianos, Head of Structured Finance, Mr. Dimitris Economou, Head of Small Business Segment, Ms. Evangelia Pittaoulis, Head of Private Private, Messrs. Also participate in the tour. Michalis Louis, Head of International Activities of Eurobank Group and Charalambos Hampakis, CEO of Eurobank Private Bank Luxembourg.

Giving special emphasis on the strengthening of local communities, the Administration meets with the Governor of Crete, Mr. Stavros Arnaoutakis, in a full-fledged discussion on the development planning of the region of Crete in terms of infrastructure and investment initiatives. At the same time, underlining the dynamics of Crete as a region of knowledge and innovation, with high quality academic and research institutes, which are in open dialogue and cooperation with the market, Management officials visit the University of Crete, the pioneering Institute of Technology and Research Technical University of Crete, where they will meet with the Rectors Mr. Georgios M. Kontakis and Evangelos Diamantopoulos, at the University and the Technical University of Crete, respectively.

The tour in Crete is the second large-scale tour carried out by the Management of Eurobank in the region (preceded by the tour in Western Greece) in just two months and covers all the Prefectures of Crete as visits / meetings took place in Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos, Alikarnassos, Sitia, Ierapetra, Malia, Moires and the Port of Hersonissos.

Recognizing the decisive contribution of the employees to the strong performance of the Bank and the achievement of its strategic goals, the Management also carries out an extensive program of visits to the branch network and the Business Centers of the region. The aim is to inform the employees about the strategic priorities of the Group with special emphasis on the essential exchange of views on issues that concern the development and the prospects of the local society and wider issues of the economy.