The fifth banking pillar, created by the merger of Pancreta Bank and Attica Bank, will create the conditions in the private sector that will help attract investment, Alexandros Exarchou said during a discussion at the Fourth Thessaloniki Metropolitan Summit held today in Thessaloniki.

In fact, as Mr. Exarchou added, "since the day the Thrivest-HHFSF agreement was published and the investment community understood its exact dimension, we have daily expressions of interest from major funds interested in investing in the new bank in the future.".

Exarchou added that the new bank is in a better financial position because it is adequately capitalised, the funds are not reliant on deferred tax at all, the red loans will be below 3%, and it will have a significant geographical spread across the country.

With the forthcoming capital increase of €750 million, it will be able not only to support small and medium-sized enterprises but also to substantially increase the ability of new companies in Greece to grow as they would if they were located in other European countries.

"What has been achieved for the Greek banking system not only makes us proud but also creates a new bank that will be able to finance activities that were not financeable by the banking system, will have a significant potential for profitability, and will create those conditions in the private sector that will help attract investment," Exarchou noted.