– Hello. It’s both infuriating and sad for the image of the country and for basketball — a sport in which Greek teams have been at the top level in Europe for the past two decades — to see things like this happening. And of course, this didn’t happen for the first time the other night. Also, hooligans are not the same as a club’s management, even if the law provides for penalties for both. The worst part, in my opinion, is the kind of example it sets for kids who love the sport and their favorite team. I believe there’s already a sound law in place regarding violence and its incitement in stadiums — the Floridis law. If it’s implemented in basketball the way it has been in football, things will improve; maybe we wouldn’t even have to suspend the league.

Air Traffic Controllers
– If you’ve traveled over the past month, as the summer airport traffic has kicked off — especially at Eleftherios Venizelos — you may have… noticed that we’ve started the season strong — with delays. Basically, anything under an hour’s delay is a miracle, especially at “El. Ven.” The reason? Air traffic controllers are working at idle speed because the Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) that allows them to get overtime or bonuses for the summer workload hasn’t been signed yet. Don’t ask me why — every year around this time it’s signed, but for some reason, this year we’ve had to go through this ordeal. I asked and still didn’t get it. The good news is, those fine folks known as air traffic controllers reached an agreement with the government, and the JMD will be signed within the week, so they’ll… rev back up. In fact, over the past four days (since the deal became apparent), delays have already decreased. Now, this whole situation reminds me of the Fotopoulos era at PPC when unionists would just flip the switch if they didn’t feel like working. In the year 2025, no less — and what’s more, the funds for those extra wages don’t come from the national budget but from Eurocontrol, the EU’s air navigation coordination body. One last, very serious note: there are four aviation violations pending for the country. And now there’s talk about fast-tracking the projects related to them. Let’s get it over with, shall we?

31 Companies Gather for the Naval Drones
– A total of 31 companies showed up yesterday (Monday) at ELDIK for the submission of participation applications for the Development of Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), two designs, multiple configurations. A clear sign of growing interest in Greece’s modern defense industry. So far so good, but the fact that there wasn’t enough room for all the applicants, and that file submissions were done on paper, with stacks and stacks of documents — in the age of gov.gr — doesn’t quite align with the lightning speed of global developments.

The Rectors and the Staff
– Despite the stern tone set by K.M. at yesterday’s meeting with about 25 university rectors from across the country, I’m told the discussion went smoothly, with a detailed exchange of arguments on the state of higher education. Still, some rectors pointed out they need more funding to hire more security personnel. As one of them put it, “a turnstile without a person standing by it is pointless.” I’m told Minister Sofia Zacharaki pledged to look into finding resources, primarily for EKPA (University of Athens), AUTH (Thessaloniki), and NTUA (Polytechnic), the three main universities facing issues.

Karamanlis and Samaras
– There’s been a lot of chatter about a potential Samaras party. Some are running the numbers, others are gossiping about it in Parliament between sips of freddo and bites of cheese-stuffed koulouri. But truth be told, no one really knows anything serious. Some of the more cunning folks have been saying for days that they need to see whether Kostas Karamanlis (Rafina) will give any sort of “nod,” with whom Samaras is set to appear publicly again at the War Museum in a few days. “These things don’t happen,” a serious New Democracy source familiar with the Karamanlis camp told me, reminding me that the founder of ND was Konstantinos Karamanlis and “blood is thicker than water.”

New Ambassadors
– The Supreme Council of the Foreign Ministry decided yesterday on changes to key diplomatic posts. Thus, the new ambassador to Washington will be I. Vrailas, after a successful stint at the country’s Permanent Representation to the EU. A. Balta, until now ambassador in Madrid, is appointed as the new Permanent Representative to the UN, at a time when Greece’s participation in the UN Security Council is ongoing. No official decision has yet been made for the EU post, but the position is expected to go to Anna Maria Boura, former head of the PM’s diplomatic office, now serving in the office of European Council President A. Costa. K. Kollias is being assigned to Nicosia, thus vacating the role of Permanent Representative to the OSCE in Vienna, which is set to be taken up by diplomat V. Kalpadakis, close associate of Al. Tsipras and founding member of the former PM’s foundation. Also, Christos Kapodistrias, after a successful three-year term at our Embassy in Baku, will become Greece’s ambassador to Doha. Notably, several embassies remain unfilled — including in Tripoli — at a time when a strong diplomatic presence in Libya is crucial.

The National Bank Cuts the Umbilical Cord with National Insurance
– The National Bank denies rumors of a deal with Interamerican, but it’s not like it could’ve done otherwise. Sources insist that although nothing’s been finalized with Interamerican, the talks are at an advanced stage. The issue is that the National Bank is simultaneously in talks with other insurance companies. Those negotiations aren’t as far along, but still, it’s awkward to be talking partnership with some while market rumors claim you’re moving ahead with Interamerican. Additionally, note that the National Bank has sent out an RSP (Recommended Selling Price) and is asking insurance companies to submit partnership bids to replace National Insurance.

GEK TERNA – Motor Oil Deal Moves Forward
– The Heron (GEK TERNA) and NRG (Motor Oil) deal is progressing well and is almost finalized. It includes the power production unit in Northern Greece jointly owned by the two groups (50-50 split). Heron and NRG will merge their electricity retail operations, forming a powerful new player. Word is that shareholding in the new entity will also be 50-50, but since GEK TERNA is contributing more value, it will receive a payment reflecting that — reportedly well above €100 million. GEK TERNA will announce Q1 results today before market opening. Analysts expect revenue around €1 billion and adjusted EBITDA of €129 million. If these numbers are confirmed, it would mean increases of roughly 40% and 50%, respectively. Also, on June 11, GEK TERNA’s General Assembly will decide on a 60% dividend increase for FY2024, to €0.40 per share.

PPC Enters Telecoms, Shaking Up the Market
– PPC’s full commercial entry into telecoms is now a matter of time, raising the bar in the optical fiber market — the industry’s most dynamic segment. The question is whether this will happen in the immediate future, or more likely in September–October. Its subsidiary, FiberGrid, currently offers pilot commercial services (i.e., to a limited customer base — beta testing) with two products, focused on specific areas of Attica. However, it’s laying fiber at breakneck speed and faster than the traditional rollout model used by other providers, because it pays contractors immediately and has more flexibility (it doesn’t need to route through pre-existing fiber cabinets), leveraging its existing network of electricity poles. Beyond Athens, the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network is expanding to other major cities as well, with the goal of reaching 948,000 households/businesses by the end of March 2025 — five times more than the same period in 2024 and marking a 46% increase since the end of 2024. The target is 1.5 million FTTH connections by the end of 2025. PPC’s upcoming entry into broadband (though not into mobile, as the company’s management confirmed) has spooked existing providers. Not only is PPC a deep-pocketed player capable of offering attractive combo packages, but it also spends less per kilometer of fiber network than initially estimated. Thus, intense price competition is expected — survival of the fittest. Already, OTE has started building defenses on the commercial front; the rest are expected to follow, and the showdown looks very, very interesting.

Here is the translated text, paragraph by paragraph, using the closest idioms and equivalent expressions in English while preserving tone, humor, and structure:

Qualco: Developing a Buy Now Pay Later service for PPC
-And since we’re talking about PPC, let me add that Qualco has landed a very good deal with them. Sources say that the company, which recently made its debut on the stock exchange, has been tasked with building a payment system for PPC and for loans to Kotsovolos customers. Qualco is creating a Buy Now Pay Later service for PPC – Kotsovolos. It’s worth noting that PPC has applied for, but has yet to receive, payment certification. On the other hand, Qualco, which got the gig, is already certified.

No one batted an eye at METLEN
-METLEN isn’t losing any sleep over Trump’s announcements about tariffs, which are causing widespread turbulence. Recently, the American President made fresh statements about steel and aluminum tariffs on imports to the U.S., shaking up the markets. But at METLEN, no one even flinched, since the company has never exported aluminum in any form to the U.S. and doesn’t have any contracts pointing in that direction for the future.

Bond issues: More to come
-We’ve recently seen MREL bond issues from Piraeus Bank and Eurobank, but that’s not the end of it—more is on the way. According to sources, Piraeus Bank is preparing another AT1 bond issue, this time in the range of €300 to €400 million, depending on market conditions.

Sellers took the lead on the stock exchange
-The “negotiations” between Russians and Ukrainians in Istanbul wrapped up in under an hour, while mutual bombardments continue. The Middle East situation is more tangled than ever. The European Central Bank is anxiously slashing euro interest rates for the 8th time—not to boost growth, but to stave off an economic slowdown. Gold has shot past €3,400, looking like the only “safe haven” amid the tariff storm and geopolitical uncertainty. In this climate, sellers had the upper hand for the third day in a row on the Greek stock market, sticking with the logic of profit-taking. The energy and industrial sectors took the baton of losses from the banks, which held their ground thanks to Eurobank’s +0.92% boost. Despite the latest dip, the ASE index is still hovering close to its recent 15-year high of 1,880 points, and not far from the 1,775–1,790 range it was trading in three weeks ago. Still, yesterday brought new highs for several listed companies, with OTE making a strong comeback and setting its sights on €17.50—a price it hasn’t seen since June 2022. It’s the sixth straight day of gains for ADMIE, which hit a new all-time high of €3.28 during the session, reaching a valuation of €750 million. New peak also for Ilida, which touched €3 for the first time ever.

Piraeus “cut the dividend early”
-As of today, Piraeus Bank shares are trading without the right to the capital return approved at the General Assembly on April 14. The stock dropped yesterday by -0.89% to €5.82, while the record date for entitled shareholders is tomorrow, and the capital return will be paid out next Tuesday, June 10. The amount of the capital return is €0.29867057 per share; yesterday, the stock lost €0.0520.

Morning at the Intercontinental, night in the bunker
-This Thursday, the brave Greek business delegation in Kyiv is making its return. Deputy Foreign Minister Tasos Chatzivasileiou posted that all 30 members of the mission are safe and sound, despite nightly Russian airstrikes that force them to spend the nights in bomb shelters. During the day, however, calm prevails in the Ukrainian capital—you could almost say life goes on as usual. At the Intercontinental Hotel, where the Greek business representatives are staying, a flurry of meetings is taking place with Ukrainian entrepreneurs, while on the government level, two major projects have already been agreed upon: one in the economic-energy sector, and another involving cooperation in health services.

The dollar falls, crypto climbs
-The dollar has already lost 10% of its value this year, and analysts at major investment banks are forecasting another 10% drop over the next 12 months. At the same time, crypto investment funds have recorded net inflows of $3.3 billion in the week ending May 23—this year’s second-largest weekly inflow. Bitcoin attracted $2.9 billion, and Ethereum funds brought in $326 million in just one week. Since 2019, total net inflows into crypto funds have reached a staggering $63 billion. People seem to be losing faith in the so-called “strong dollar,” watching Trump push for lower interest rates, and—looking for a safe haven—are turning to crypto investment funds. Inflows into crypto assets have doubled over the past year. Of course, there are also more traditional savers who, seeing the dollar’s decline, are seeking safe-haven currencies like the Japanese yen, the euro, and the Swiss franc.

The yen rises, BoJ loses
-The shift of savers toward the Japanese yen is not only strengthening the exchange rate, but also pushing up the yields of government bonds. Rising yields on Japanese government bonds are causing major losses for the Bank of Japan. So far, the unrealized (i.e., accounting) losses of the BoJ from government bonds have hit a record $198 billion for fiscal year 2024. A year ago, losses were around $66 billion. The yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond has doubled over the year to about 1.5%. The 30-year yield has climbed roughly 70 basis points to 2.5%. In April and May, the rise in Japanese bond yields is accelerating. The BoJ’s losses are mounting.