– Hello, now let me tell you that starting today, all of Greece—and especially if both our teams make it to the final in Abu Dhabi (or at least one)—will be totally consumed with it. I don’t think I’m telling you anything new. By the way, I think the hottest gossip in Athens right now is the fake trip to the Final Four that was ‘organized’ for a fee by a certain lady posing as some sort of travel agent or PR or who knows what, and who apparently made off with around 70 grand, from what I’ve read, scamming various well-known and not-so-well-known Athenians who thought they were headed for the finals but ended up swindled. The girl even printed posters to advertise the trip to the Emirates where the Final Four is happening, with the title: “Abu Dhabi Doo” and the subtitle “Make a Rush for the Final Four”… etc. etc. The ad poster even had a footnote from the… travel agent: “Bonus Tip – Don’t miss the hot Nikos Vertis concert at the Coca Cola Arena on 5/22.” Now, the fact that there was no charter flight, no Final 4 tickets, no hotel bookings—you already know. What you might not know is that there was… some actual name-dropping involved to reel people in. The girl told one or two very well-known journalists and a minister that they’d be hosted, just so she could use their names to tell others, “You know, on our charter we’ll also have Minister So-and-So, and Journalist So-and-So,” etc., so that the others would cough up the two grand. And they bit—hard…

In June, to Ukraine
– Back to our own news now: yesterday’s phone call between K.M. and Zelensky added another trip to the June “calendar,” as the Prime Minister is expected in Odessa for the Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit. Of course, the war looks nowhere near over at this point. Beyond that, Mitsotakis’ June schedule includes a trip to Nice, France, for the UN Oceans Conference, a trip to Albania, and toward the end of the month, a NATO Summit in The Hague and then right after that, an EU Council Summit in Brussels.

Visits and Tours
– Today, K.M. is expected to swing by the DYPA Career Days in Peristeri, accompanied by Kerameos and the agency’s director Spyros Protopsaltis, while on Saturday morning there’s a planned tour of Megara, including an inspection of the renovated Health Center in the area.

“The Dance of the Commissioners” in Athens
– Three European Commissioners, one after another, will hold meetings with Kyriakos Pierrakakis today and Monday in Athens. First up this morning, via videoconference, is Slovak Maroš Šefčovič: the new European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, who took office six months ago and is working on new rules and the reform of the Customs Union. This includes the plan to create a unified EU Customs Authority. Greece, as a main entry point into the EU, has vital interests in this plan—and might even be one of the countries vying to host the new European Customs Authority. Right after that, Pierrakakis will welcome Portuguese former Finance Minister and current Commissioner for Financial Services and the EU’s Savings and Investment Union, Maria Luís Albuquerque. The Commissioner had a one-on-one with the Prime Minister at Maximos Mansion on Thursday at 9 a.m., then headed to the Bank of Greece and immediately after to the Capital Market Commission, where she met with Chair V. Lazarakou and Vice-Chair M. Fekkas. In today’s meeting with Pierrakakis, they will examine the progress and deepening of the Capital Markets Union, which the EU urgently needs to rely more on its own resources and to fund defense and other top-priority policies (green transition, innovation, exports, etc.) in a world that’s changing rapidly and drastically.

But Monday is when the big news might drop…
– The “heavier” news might actually come Monday, when Dutch European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra will meet Pierrakakis in Athens. He holds the portfolio for Climate, Net Zero, Clean Growth, and Taxation. But what hides behind those words and terms? Green taxes, naturally! Let’s see what’s coming…

Tyler, hang in there…
– A bit old but still good, so I’m passing it on: last Monday a big group showed up at the Major Seven music venue in Metaxourgeio where (every Monday) journalist Giorgos Kouvaras sings (his hobby, as is widely known). Among the group were Stefanos Kasselakis and his partner Tyler, and I’m told that after a few drinks and getting in the spirit, the revolutionary chants started flying: “Tyler, hang in there, so the Right can go!” Good for them, may they always have fun…

The cost of growth and the rise on the Athens Stock Exchange
– We have to admit, Optima has been impressive with its stock performance. The share closed yesterday at €18.44, with market capitalization reaching €1.36 billion, leaving speechless all those who didn’t trust it when the stock first listed on the ASE and was trading around €7. But Optima’s growth comes at a cost, and that’s starting to show in the numbers. Specifically, the NPE (non-performing exposure) ratio rose to 0.90% in Q1, from 0.85% in the last quarter of 2024. And in terms of capital, the relevant ratio (under Basel IV) fell to 13.42% by the end of Q1 2025. That’s why the bank is planning two Tier 2 bond issues this year totaling €150 million to strengthen its growth and return the ratio to the minimum capital requirement set by regulators, which is 14.06%.

Bonuses at Optima Bank
– And since a rising stock deserves reward, the bonus for executive board members, top and senior executives, and other Optima Bank staff is up. A one-time extraordinary bonus of €4.8 million has been approved “as a reward for their contribution to the bank’s profitability and achievement of its targets for the 2024 financial year.” The corresponding amount last year was €4 million. There was also a free stock distribution last year worth up to €1.035 million, which was granted in 2024. The lion’s share—45,000 shares—went to Chairman G. Taniskidis, while CEO G. Kyparissis and executive board member A. Sapranidis received 5,000 and 3,000 shares respectively.

Energean: Drills on land and sea
-News was hidden in Energean’s detailed update to the stock exchanges of London and Tel Aviv, as the coming period will see increased drilling activity. Both on land and at sea. On land, an exploratory drilling is planned in the EBEN area in Egypt, aiming at around 90 million barrels of oil. At sea, again in Egypt, specifically in the Gulf of Alexandria where the company is already producing gas, it has set new targets of around 420 billion cubic feet of gas. The most interesting part, however, is Block 2 in our own neighborhood, in the Northwestern Ionian, where the initial estimate — still with risk since no drilling has yet occurred — refers to 700 billion cubic feet of gas. When could drilling happen there? If a partner was found to share the risk and if procedures moved quickly, possibly even within 2026, when in any case a drilling rig will arrive for CO₂ storage drilling in the Gulf of Kavala.

The groom was willing, but the bride changed her mind
-Those who believed Intralot would greatly expand its reach in faraway Australia were disappointed. Rumors circulated in the market, the Capital Market Commission rightly asked the management for an official statement, and the management replied that “there is no binding agreement.” Everyone was right — and still is. The main shareholder of Max Gaming in Australia — the company TabCorp — wanted to sell, Intralot showed interest, but the seller changed their mind and — for now — doesn’t want to sell. Intralot already has a license in Victoria, Australia, which expires in 2027, and has already secured an extension of its license in New Zealand until 2032. If it had acquired Max Gaming, which controls 70% of the gaming market in New South Wales, it would have gained a serious competitive edge. In Paiania, Intralot’s executives believe TabCorp’s change of heart regarding the MaxGaming sale is temporary and driven by circumstantial factors. On Athens Avenue, however, after the initial excitement, justified skepticism prevails, despite Intralot’s positive turnaround to date — the company is currently valued at just under €640 million.

The news doesn’t agree, but Coca Cola’s stock is banking on peace
-Coca Cola’s stock carries a heavy weight in the General Index of the Athens Stock Exchange, affecting it by 11.28% — more than any other stock. At the same time, Coca Cola’s share is directly influenced by the performance of the London Stock Exchange, where it is also listed and where trading volume far exceeds that of Athens. Finally, these days, the stock’s price is significantly affected by developments on the Russia-Ukraine front. The Russian market contributes more than 20% to Coca Cola HBC’s operating profits, so if and when calm is restored in that part of the world, the company’s ambitions are substantial. Exactly a month ago, on April 23, Eurobank Equities published an analysis that, after presenting the solid fundamentals of Coca Cola HBC’s stock, predicted the share would reach… €45, based on its already impressive +32% upward path — well above the European average. Today, Coca Cola’s stock has not only hit that €45 target, but is seeing heavy trading at €47.

ELVALHALCOR’s… restraint
-Something is holding back ELVALHALCOR’s stock, and it wasn’t revealed during yesterday’s discussion between the management and analysts. Despite the stock’s rise yesterday, its market capitalization remains under €850 million — that’s about 7 times this year’s earnings — while its equity exceeds €1 billion (meaning it has more equity than market cap). Metal prices are rising, debt obligations are decreasing (under €670 million), and the large €170 million investment program has begun to bear fruit. Nevertheless, ELVALHALCOR seems to be exercising restraint — waiting, it seems, for the whole tariff merry-go-round to end and the market to normalize.

The market didn’t forgive AustriaCard
-We said it yesterday about AustriaCard and the hit to its earnings from the Turkish market. You see, 2024 was a year when all — big and small — Turkish banks ordered, bought, and stockpiled credit cards. In the first quarter of 2025, demand for new card production in Turkey dropped off a cliff. This shift negatively affected AustriaCard’s results. Management made promises that it will recover lost ground by the end of the year, but that remains to be seen. The stock market, however, didn’t seem willing to wait and “rewarded” the stock with a significant drop of -8.2% in recent sessions. The rest of the chatter and whispers going around likely have no basis. The analysis of Q1 financial statements shows that the drop in profitability is due to conditions in the Turkish market — where AustriaCard is particularly active. Otherwise, the company’s performance, both geographically and by sector, moved positively. Even yesterday, the stock closed with a -1.07% drop at €5.54, and its market cap now stands at €201 million.