VASILIS PSALTIS: The Extel Awards have a unique feature: they are “voted on” by international investors and analysts—that is, the people who closely monitor companies’ results, strategies, and other moves.
In this light, the fact that Vasilis Psaltis, CEO of Alpha, has emerged as a “multiple winner” of this award represents a vote of confidence from the markets in the bank’s strategy.
For the past three years, Vasilis Psaltis has been named the top CEO in Greece and in Emerging Europe. In 2019, as soon as he took the helm at Alpha, he was named the top CEO in Greece, while from 2014 through 2018 he was consistently ranked among the top 10 CFOs of European banks.
The same community that watched him manage the bank’s finances and recapitalizations during the crisis has consistently praised his strategic choices and consistency in their implementation from 2019 to the present.
GEK TERNA: George Peristeris’s company also received international recognition from Extel, being named the “Most Honored Company” for 2026. The group was the only small- and mid-cap company in the entire Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region to rank first in five or more of the seven evaluation categories.
It was compared with 256 other companies in the running.
MARKOPOULOS: The Deputy Minister of Finance found an unconventional way to prevent Antonis Samaras from founding a new party. What is it? He accuses the former prime minister’s inner circle of “leading him astray.” As if the former prime minister were indecisive...
“It’s unthinkable that political figures who left New Democracy and constantly criticized him are now hanging around him. And they’re even lecturing us. Is he now going to form a party with them?” asked Dimitris Markopoulos (on ertnews).
According to Mr. Markopoulos, the Messinian “should reflect. The path his associates are leading him down is a bad one; those urging him to form a party are people who are not up to the task, and it’s a shame because they’ve isolated him from a number of his friends.”
Unfortunately, the new deputy minister emphasized, “Antonis Samaras’s ‘inner circle’ thinks it’s dealing with the president of a Messinian association…. His associates are far from up to the task.”
With all due respect to government officials, however, it seems unlikely that such methods will change the former prime minister’s mind…
KARAMANLIS: The other former prime minister and president of New Democracy, Kostas Karamanlis, received a warm welcome at yesterday’s graduation ceremony at Aristotelian College in Thessaloniki.
He spoke in a way that resonated with the students, advising them to spread their wings, to study, to travel, to explore the world, but to keep their roots strong.
“Keep Greece in your hearts forever. Feel it! First and foremost, we are Greeks. We are—and you are—heirs to a universal civilization. And this is extremely important in a world where national identities are becoming increasingly fluid,” he told them.
He also emphasized that “we never needed to, nor did we ever consent—as others have done and continue to do—to turn necessity into history, to distort historical truth, or to appropriate or usurp the identity elements of others.”
And Mr. Karamanlis concluded, to thunderous applause: “Keep an eye on those who are excessively in love with themselves, with money, with power. And if you feel a twinge in your soul, a silent tear rolling down your cheek, upon hearing ‘I know you by your edge’ or ‘I fight for the Victorious General,’ do not be ashamed; do not feel out of fashion or outdated. It is your honor and your pride—you are more “in” than anyone else.”
KARISTIAOU: Wherever the leaders of “Hope for Democracy” go and wherever they stand, they rule out the possibility of cooperation with the other parties in our political system.
Maria Gratsia, a close associate of Maria of Tempi, reiterated this yesterday on Mega: “Ms. Karystianou’s public stance is absolutely clear: there will be no cooperation with Mitsotakis, Androulakis, Tsipras, etc.”
On the other hand, she assured that “the country will not be left without a government” (though it is unclear how this will be achieved), but it would be best—as she said—“to act conscientiously and stick to our choice. It’s a possibility; we all realize that a single-party government could also emerge. No one can rule it out.”
The bar is set high here as well.
AKINHTA: The government appears to view vacant homes as a solution to the housing problem. Except that reality is likely less convenient than the calculations made by the ministerial offices.
A report by KEFIM published yesterday serves to bring expectations back down to earth. As the report points out, a significant portion of vacant properties cannot easily be brought back onto the market, as they are older homes with low energy efficiency, in serious need of renovation, or even subject to legal and ownership disputes.
In many cases, in fact, they are also located in areas where demand is limited.
In short, vacant homes may sound like a reservoir ready to be tapped, but the picture suggests that a large portion of them is, at least for now, more on paper than in the actual market.
IDEAL-ATTIKA: The key pillars of the “Elevation Project,” the strategic transformation program, are outlined in the prospectus prepared in anticipation of Attica Department Stores’ listing on the Stock Exchange.
It includes coordinated initiatives covering the company’s product portfolio, store network, services, and digital operations.
Among the scenarios being considered is the expansion of “Attica Beauty” through 4–6 cosmetics stores during the 2027–2029 period and the potential selective expansion of department store presence in high-traffic retail destinations after 2030.
ATTICA DEPARTMENT STORES II: Ideal Holdings undertakes a mandatory lock-up commitment to hold the company’s shares for 180 days from the start of trading on Euronext Athens.
IDEAL: The stock is currently trading without the right to a capital return of 0.7 euros; the payment to shareholders is scheduled for June 24, the day the public offering for the listing of its subsidiary Attica Department Stores on the Stock Exchange also begins.
The stock closed yesterday up 1.94% at a new high of 7.35 euros, as investors positioned themselves in anticipation of the strong distribution by the listed company.
Based on the share price and the interim dividend of 0.15 euros distributed by the company earlier this year, the total dividend yield is estimated at a very respectable 11.5%.
TRADE ESTATES: Trade Estates’ stock is also down today following the dividend announcement, with the net amount distributed to shareholders amounting to 0.0654 euros per share.
Payments will begin on June 24, while the dividend yield stands at approximately 3.2%.
SHIPOWNERS: The major players in the VLCC market are gearing up for action as the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz approaches following the de-escalation agreement between the U.S. and Iran.
According to data from Maritime Data, at least 69 tankers are already heading toward the Persian Gulf, seeking to capitalize on the expected surge in crude oil shipments.
Among the key players is Maria Angelicoussis’s Maran Tankers, which has deployed five VLCCs to the region, including the newly built Antonis I Angelicoussis.
At the same time, Sinokor Maritime maintains a strong presence, while Chinese groups such as Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation and China VLCC are also strengthening their positions.
Analysts estimate that the resumption of exports from the Middle East will create an immediate need for up to 150 VLCCs to transport the approximately 7 million barrels per day that were missing from the global market during the crisis.
With vessel availability remaining limited, tanker freight rates are expected to remain high, offering significant profit opportunities for shipowners who are first to enter the region.
FRAGOU: Navios Maritime Partners is reportedly proceeding with the sale of the product tanker Nave Ariadne for $22.5 million, continuing its fleet renewal program. According to shipping brokerage sources, this is the 51st vessel the company has sold on the secondary market since 2022, having raised a total of approximately $1.2 billion from the sale of used vessels.
The Nave Ariadne, with a deadweight tonnage of 74,900 dwt and built in 2007, is the oldest of the company’s eight LR1 tankers, and its sale comes at a time of increased investor interest in this specific class of vessels. If confirmed, this will be Navios’ first LR1 divestment in the last three years.
At the same time, the company’s CEO, Angeliki Frangou, is strengthening her stake in Navios Partners. Since mid-March, she has invested approximately $5.1 million in stock purchases, increasing her personal stake to 17.8%.
Navios Partners’ stock has risen 14% over the past quarter in New York, with the company’s market capitalization standing at nearly $2.1 billion.
TOURISM: The National Council for Spatial Planning has had its hands full, as in addition to the tight schedule for the tourism spatial plan, two other spatial plans—one for Renewable Energy Sources and one for Industry—are currently under public consultation.
For this reason, the National Spatial Planning Council meeting scheduled for yesterday was postponed.
And on top of everything else, the replacement of the Secretary-General for Spatial Planning and the Urban Environment (we recall that Efthymios Bakogiannis resigned in the wake of the urban planning scandal) adds yet another headache, as Evangelos Kyriazopoulos is called upon to… adapt immediately and dive right into the deep end…
It’s a heavy workload…