Hello, the “farmers’ saga” continues in both the government and the opposition, in the absence of any other topic, with quite a few different aspects. From an attempt at communication that is being made so that a dialogue can take place—but the issue is with whom—to the absurdity of six ND MPs complaining about payments to farmers who have not been inspected. Or rather, who were inspected, but because there was a discrepancy in acreage they will obviously be re-inspected, and provided no issue arises, they will be paid by the end of the month. You know, what is completely ridiculous in this affair is that there are not only ordinary farmers (who we may assume have some excuse), not only the opposition, which is… doing its job by shouting, but also ND MPs who believe that the government can pay what is owed and is refusing to do so. While the exact opposite is happening, because the government has been under unbearable pressure. As you understand, if the EU allowed it, the government would give advances… until 2030, but the rural ND MPs think “why not, some naive farmer might take the bait so we can save a few votes.” On Friday there is also an ND parliamentary group meeting, so they will certainly say their piece there too—but really, who believes they gain anything this way, who believes them?

Chrysochoidis at the Maximos Mansion

Yesterday Chrysochoidis went to the Maximos Mansion and met with Mitsotakis, because as we said, farmers have a long way to go before the whole festival ends. An interesting divergence compared with farmers and livestock breeders in the rest of the country: the Cretans met yesterday with regional governor Arnaoutakis and asked him to declare the island in a state of emergency so that they can receive the money owed to them more quickly and accelerate inspections. This, of course, cannot be done, but Arnaoutakis told them to gather their demands and request a meeting with Hatzidakis, who returned yesterday afternoon from the USA. The farmers were receptive; after all, they had an appointment on Friday that did not take place because it was not agreed that the MPs of Crete would also participate. However, unlike the other roadblocks across the country, the Cretans seem to be moving independently.

In Alexis’ shadow

Well, let’s move on to our own fun now and leave the foreign matters aside. Today, the SYRIZA parliamentary group will set out on the journey to… “Ithaca,” meeting at one o’clock in the afternoon in the Senate Hall of Parliament, under the shadow of our Alexis’ balcony. Although the official agenda concerns the budget, quite a few MPs and party officials (as usual, the members of the Political Secretariat and the Central Committee have been invited) want the party leadership to clarify its position after the galleries incident and Alexis Tsipras’ criticism of “closed-off parties” and… “adhesions,” at a moment when Sunday’s Avgi front page somewhat muddied the message from Koumoundourou. In any case, Famellos intends to clarify his stance, demanding that all progressive forces—PASOK, SYRIZA, New Left, Kotzias’ Pratto, Petros Kokkalis’ Kosmos, etc., and of course Alexis Tsipras—sit at the same table to form a progressive proposal that could topple Mitsotakis. As for who would lead such a… composition, Koumoundourou points to democratic procedures, although it wants to put the cart before the horse, insisting that there must first be a progressive program. At Amalias, however, they continue to look toward… society rather than party posts, planning Mr. Tsipras’ next appearances around Greece, while many MPs are at boiling point, if not on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Some do not object to SYRIZA and a “Tsipras party” running on competing ballots; others are considering “retiring” because of this; and others are looking for… transfers toward PASOK—unless Alexis Tsipras knocks on their door individually first.

Kimberly at the Liberty and Washington’s message

The museum ship Liberty, anchored in the port of Piraeus, was visited yesterday by U.S. Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle following an invitation from Vassilis Kikilias. It was a visit full of symbolism, since Greek shipping relied on this type of U.S.-built vessel after World War II, purchasing 100 of them to rise from its ashes and dominate global shipping. The ambassador’s presence came at the right moment, since the U.S. under the Trump administration prioritizes the revival of American commercial shipping. It also serves as a reminder of how U.S. postwar power shaped the global landscape, and how Greek shipping managed to skyrocket internationally by utilizing an American-built ship. The board of the Hellas Liberty museum was informed via the Ministry of Shipping that Kimberly wanted to visit, knowing its significance. She showed great enthusiasm and toured all areas of the ship, asking about the various historical exhibits. The president, Giorgos Tsavliris, gifted her a silver trireme, and Yiannis Platsidakis gave her historian Giorgos Foustanos’ book on the history of Liberty ships. The visit functioned as a message to multiple recipients: to Athens, which seeks to strengthen its role as a reliable ally in the Eastern Mediterranean; to shipowners, who remain a key lever of Euro-Atlantic maritime power; and to the international community, at a time when sea routes are again becoming arenas of geopolitical competition from the Red Sea to the South China Sea.

The Israeli investor and the…gavel

Israeli investor Meni Weitzman, who through his group controlled the Brown Hotels chain and is said to own around 120 hotels, restaurants, and properties worldwide, now appears at risk of becoming entangled in the ordeal of foreclosures. It is a case full of… mystery and questions about how an investor of such caliber could find himself—even technically—facing the gavel. Specifically, yesterday a foreclosure notice was posted against Meni Witzman (as his name appears in the seizure report). The initiating parties are the company “V.A. Conland Technical,” which specializes in luxury construction and had undertaken many Brown Hotels projects—Brown Acropole, Brown Lighthouse Athens, Isla Brown Corinthian Resort, Villa Brown Ermou, etc.—as well as civil engineer A.V. The enforceable title is a payment order issued by the Athens Single-Member Court of First Instance in 2024, and the amount seized is 60,000 euros. Now, what is at risk of being auctioned: an autonomous and independent horizontal property—fully owned—namely a 9th-floor apartment recessed from 20 G. Statha Street and a 6th-floor apartment recessed from 8 Dimaki Street, “together with its annex—a rooftop room—on the 10th floor,” in a block of flats built at the location “Schisti Petra” in Kolonaki. The apartment has an area of 208.30 sq.m., the rooftop 52.19 sq.m., and was purchased by the investor in July 2019. The auction is scheduled for January 9, 2026, with an opening bid of 1,431,000 euros. On the property, and against Weitzman, several encumbrances have been registered: a mortgage pre-notation for 4 million euros in October 2022 in favor of Israeli company Michlol Growth Limited; a provisional seizure for 430,000 euros by decision of the Athens Single-Member Court in February 2024 in favor of “V.A. Conland Technical”; and the compulsory seizure for 60,000 euros made in June 2025 that leads to the auction. If one had to make a prediction, I would bet that the gavel will not fall and that we will likely see a suspension soon…

The write-down for Swiss franc loans

A significant scaling regarding income and property is introduced in the new repayment scheme for Swiss-franc loans for the three categories of borrowers, while the fourth concerns wealthier borrowers and does not include income or property criteria. For the latter, the write-down is standard: a 15% reduction in the exchange rate and an interest rate of 2.90%. In the other three categories, depending on family size, the income threshold starts from €7.5k for the first category and goes up to about €22k; for the second category, from €9.4k to €23.4k; and for the third, from €11.2k to €25.2k. This large progression, which provides for a euro–Swiss franc exchange-rate haircut of 50%, 30%, and 20% respectively, and interest rates from 2.30% to 2.70%, has multiple aims: to offer a fair and sustainable solution for borrowers consistent with their means, without excessively burdening the banking system and ensuring zero impact on the Hercules asset-protection scheme.

Kerameos and the Occupational Pension Funds

After concluding the social agreement on collective labor contracts with the social partners, Labor Minister Niki Kerameos intends to change the landscape of the 2nd Pillar of Insurance and Occupational Pension Funds. Reliable sources say the minister is overseeing the drafting of a new bill that will both correct the shortcomings of Law 5078/2023 and strengthen the occupational insurance sector with a modern, empirically tested legislative framework adapted to Greek reality. The legislative initiative is expected very soon, following consultations with institutional stakeholders and social partners. It will include the creation of an equal regulatory framework among 2nd-pillar bodies; the establishment of equal and harmonized information obligations toward insured members; portability between OPFs and Group Insurance Policies; an overhaul of participation incentives; and a redesign of the tax framework. Additionally, the introduction of an automatic enrollment system for workers in multi-employer professional funds—with an opt-out after 1 or 2 years—is expected to be examined, a measure strongly recommended recently by the European Commission to member states to strengthen supplementary, capital-based pensions.

A pan-European securitisation system based on “Hercules”

European institutions are expected to clash next year over the effort to revive securitisation, and Greece is now in a position to teach lessons from its recent experience and the debt crisis, giving this knowledge a developmental dimension. According to a recent Politico report, in Greece the Hercules scheme was a central tool for stabilising the financial system. The authorship of Hercules is known to belong to former Deputy Finance Minister Giorgos Zavvos. Now, however, when we talk about pan-European securitisations, things become more difficult. At a European level, the idea of common guarantees introduced by Hercules runs into the longstanding mistrust between member states. For this reason, Mr Zavvos proposes that guarantees should not be granted exclusively by national governments, but mainly by European institutions such as the European Investment Bank or other EU bodies.

Pistiolis “parks” an under-construction megayacht

On Wall Street, this was read as yet another move to shift power within the same ecosystem of interests. Evangelos Pistiolis is “parking” the megayacht under construction from Top Ships into the newer subsidiary Rubico, with an advance payment of only $4 million, leaving the option open until March. A dry, low-risk move for Rubico, high-control for himself. The pattern repeats: assets of the main shareholder are transferred to companies he controls, with independent committees providing the institutional veneer. The performance of Para Bellvm — modest but existent — shows that the “yachting pivot” is not a hobby but a parallel revenue stream being built step by step. The stock market interprets this as follows: Pistiolis is testing resilience and liquidity while shaping a platform for transferring assets from private to listed vehicles. For those watching the stock, this is a sign of where corporate strategy is heading when core shipping is not enough for the next day.

Vyron Vassiliadis enters containerships with two shipbuilding orders

V.V.’s move to invest in another sector of commercial shipping by ordering the construction of two container ships of 1,900 TEU each — while also ramping up his presence in LR2 tankers — is not just business expansion. It is the first clear sign that the V Group aims to “write its name on the map” of Greek conglomerates with a multi-sector footprint. The creation of OceanV acts as classic governance shielding: a clean dividing line between the energy play of the tankers and the new bet on feeders, so that different financing strategies can be applied in the future. As for timing, placing orders for small boxships for 2028–29 delivery shows that Vassiliadis is “betting” on the gradual restructuring of feeder routes and on the possible continuation of tight capacity in short-sea and Asian trades. On the contrary, the LR2 tankers for 2029 look more like an insurance policy in a market that may yield strong upside if flows of raffinate and clean products continue to be reshaped by geopolitical tensions. The most interesting political-business detail is that this aggressive stance, with total capital commitments this year around $520 million, strengthens the perception that V.V. wants to differentiate himself from the typical “quiet” path of younger players in the sector. He’s moving at a pace reminiscent of traditional heavyweights, while at the same time exploiting the current environment: banks demand ESG shop windows and charterers clearly prefer eco tonnage.

Oikonomou’s double bet

George Oikonomou’s TMS Group shows how Greek shipping combines strategy with financial craftsmanship. The company is returning to the Chinese Zhoushan Changhong shipyard to order up to ten LNG dual-fuel neo-panamax 11,400-TEU vessels, after the ten similar units ordered earlier this year. With the first deliveries starting in 2028, TMS has already secured long-term charters with Zim for 12 years, in a $2.3 billion agreement. This move shows two key things: First, TMS is investing in newer, greener vessels, reducing environmental risk and opening access to premium freight rates. Second, while the first ten ships have already been chartered, the latest order appears to be made with “contracts under discussion” with European liner companies, adding potential upside in long-term income. From the perspective of Wall Street analysts, TMS’s strategy looks like a double bet: securing stability with long-term charters while keeping options open for further commercial exploitation. It is a move combining technology, green transition and financial management — characteristics that make TMS stand out in the global shipping market.

Profile Systems in the UK

Profile Systems, led by Charalambos Stasinopoulos, has turned its attention to the UK, and information suggests it is close to acquiring a large software company. Beyond the company’s size, its experience and knowledge of the British market are considered very important, as they may pave the way for other deals. After all, Profile’s management has announced its strategy for investments and acquisitions worth €100 million by 2028. Stasinopoulos himself — chairman and main shareholder (46.5%) — has set a target of €130 million in revenue by 2028, more than double current levels. Of this, €80–90 million will come from organic growth and €40–50 million from acquisitions. Today, 70–80% of Profile’s turnover comes from Europe, and the company is considered a leader in financial software, with a presence in more than 50 countries.

The November record on the Athens Stock Exchange and Lamda’s bond

November 2025 will go down as the month with record registrations of new investor accounts on the Athens Stock Exchange. A total of 3,538 new stock-market accounts were opened, marking an outburst of interest from retail investors. Much of this is due to Lamda Development’s bond. The public offering for Lamda Development’s seven-year €500 million bond, from 12 to 14 November, offered a yield of 3.8% and attracted thousands of new investors. It is characteristic that in this specific issue, retail investors alone oversubscribed the entire €500 million amount, which is also the largest bond in the company’s history. Autumn was particularly dynamic for the Greek corporate bond market. We should not forget September, when GEK Terna issued a €500 million bond with 2.4 times oversubscription and record offers of €1.2 billion — the largest amount ever in a bond issue in the history of the Stock Exchange. Even the 3.2% yield on the bond was considered attractive for savers who are not satisfied with bank deposit rates.

The Germans are arming themselves

In recent days, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange had been recording an impressive and overly optimistic rise in the prices of German defense-industry shares. The mystery has now been solved. Next week, the German parliament will be called to approve not one, not two, but 29 defense contracts with a record total value of €52 billion. This is the most ambitious military upgrade in Germany’s postwar history. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is determined to turn the Bundeswehr into the strongest conventional army in Europe. The orders cover a wide range: €22 billion for basic military equipment, €4.2 billion for Puma infantry vehicles, €3 billion for Arrow 3 anti-missile systems, €1.6 billion for surveillance satellites. This is the largest package of state contracts ever approved in terms of both number and value in a closed session of the Bundestag budget committee. A party has erupted on the stock market. The defense industry is skyrocketing. Rheinmetall, Europe’s largest ammunition manufacturer, has seen its share price triple since 2022, surpassing €600 per share. Hensoldt, which specializes in surveillance systems, has risen 180% over the past two years. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, which builds submarines, is seeing record orders. The special €100 billion fund created in 2022 for German defense is being depleted faster than expected.