Alpha Bank

The Greek banking system has radically changed over the past two decades. Mergers and acquisitions had already begun in the late 1980s, but it was two significant events 20 years ago that marked the beginning of a process that has led to the consolidation of the country's banking sector in the dominant "big four" (Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank).

The weak inflation in Greece is due both to international factors, such as the euro/dollar exchange rate and the drop in oil prices, and domestic ones, such as the cuts in value-added tax at restaurants and on energy products, says Alpha Bank in its weekly bulletin on economic developments.

Greek analysts are concerned by foreign funds increasingly going short on Greek banks over the last month.
The trend became apparent in July and is based on debt rating firms' repeated warnings that the banking sector, with its nonperforming loans, remains one of the main drags on the economy.

Moody's changed its deposit rating on Greek banks Alpha, Eurobank and National to positive from stable, citing expectations of further improvement in asset quality, the ratings agency said on Tuesday.
Moody's said stronger than 2 percent annual economic growth in the coming years would support banks' efforts to reduce their large stock of sour loans.

The state made so many public sector hirings over the first three months of the year that it overshadowed the economy's main employment leaders, i.e. services and tourism, according an analysis by Alpha Bank in its weekly bulletin.

The bond segment is entering a stage of unprecedented diversification for the local capital market as investors who have had access to corporate, municipal and government bonds so far can trade the first mortgage bonds, Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) CEO Adrian Tanase told a conference on Wednesday.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has named Alpha bank and the Most Active Issuing Bank in 2018 in Greece.
This is the second year in a row that Alpha has earned this distinction, which concerns the promotion of international trade in Greece and highlights Alpha's successful participation in the EBRD's Trade Facilitation Program.

Panteion University's Institute of International Relations in Athens is organizing a one-day conference titled "Greek Banks: A Pillar of Growth or a Big Patient?" at the institute's functions hall (3-5 Hill Road, Plaka) from 10 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19.

Very positive messages are coming from foreign investors at the investment roadshows this week in which Greek banks and other listed companies are participating, as the interest of funds in local assets has increased.

Alpha Bank, Greece's fourth largest lender, on Thursday reported reported a drop in profit in the first quarter, hurt by lower trading gains and a fall in net interest income.
Its net profit from continuing operations was 27.5 million euros, down from 65.4 million euros in the same period a year earlier.
It posted a net loss of 800,000 euros in the last quarter of 2018.