Greece's Ministry of National Economy and Finance and the Bank of Greece agree regular meetings as UniCredit raises its stake in Alpha Bank

Greece's Ministry of National Economy and Finance and the Bank of Greece issued a joint statement after a meeting between Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis and Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras, centred on banking-sector developments and European financial integration. Both highlighted UniCredit’s increased participation in Alpha Bank as a vote of confidence in the Greek economy and the domestic banking system. The discussion covered the international and European environment, Greece’s economic outlook and a review of fiscal and banking issues, as well as the EU’s Savings and Investments Union. Pierrakakis argued for removing barriers between European economies, citing estimates that barriers in the services sector can be equivalent to tariffs of 110%, and pointed to the role of banks in tackling tax evasion, including a recently announced requirement for rents to be paid via banks and support for the IRIS national payments system as part of broader digitisation efforts. Stournaras indicated that the two sides will continue these meetings on a regular basis.