The recapitalisation and restructuring of the banking sector had a positive effect on the Greek taxpayer, as the Governor of the Bank of Greece, Yannis Stournaras, pointed out.

Speaking at a meeting of the relevant parliamentary committees on the disinvestment of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund, Mr. Stournaras said that a "first assessment of the cost of the recapitalisation and restructuring of the banking sector compared to the benefits gained by the Greek State, taking into account the voluntary restructuring of Greek public debt (Private Sector Involvement), shows that the Greek taxpayer has benefited to date with an estimated total amount of about €3.5 billion".

As Mr. Stournaras noted, "having been fully privatised and with sound fundamentals, the Greek banking system can look to the future with optimism. The disbursement of business loans linked to the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism will also increase credit expansion rates, which banks have resumed funding for the real economy. Banks are also investing in the digital transformation of their operations in order to improve services to their customers and reduce operating costs.

At the same time, Mr. Stournaras added, banks face significant challenges, including the challenge of private debt. He said the transfer of non-performing loans (NPLs) out of the banking sector "does not automatically mean the final elimination of debt from the economy. The debt remains, with its management now being carried out by the Loan and Credit Claims Management Companies [LCRCs]." He even noted that, as of December 2023, "the total value of exposures managed by the LDCs on behalf of the Loan and Credit Claims Acquisition Companies amounted to almost EUR 70 billion".