ELAS: A strong whiff of (former) PASOK is wafting from the “shadow government” presented by Alexis Tsipras’s ELAS when it announced its sector heads.
And, well, Giorgos Boulbasakos (deputy sector head for Health), Antonis Saoulidis (deputy sector head for Citizen Protection), and Marizeta Antonopoulou (Social Policy/Children & Family Sector) have left the “green” ranks several months ago.
Marinos Skandamis, however (Head of the Civil Protection Sector), announced his departure from PASOK just the day before yesterday—that is, a few hours before joining the leadership team of the Hellenic Left Coalition.
An important detail: Messrs. Skandamis and Saoulidis will serve as “shadow” figures to Michalis Chrysochoidis, who also shed his “green” cloak and donned the “blue” one—years ago, of course.
As if to say… former PASOK members rule.
AVRAMOPOULOS: Regarding the “investigation” of Dimitris Avramopoulos—once his parliamentary immunity has been lifted by the Greek Parliament—there are two scenarios: one is that it will be conducted by Greek judicial authorities, and the other is that it will be handled by the Belgian investigator overseeing the Qatargate case.
All reports indicate that the former Commissioner prefers the first option, even though he is receiving (among other things) legal advice to travel immediately to Brussels and provide the necessary explanations to the investigator there.
Proponents of the second version argue that the European arrest warrant was issued (primarily) because Mr. Avramopoulos failed to appear on two occasions before the Belgian authorities, who had sent him the relevant summonses.
It’s as if they’re telling him, “Go there and make amends”—assuming, of course, that he did indeed fail to appear before the authorities, and on two separate occasions at that.
QATARGATE: They’re continuing the tradition within the government, and—following the European prosecutor’s challenge—they’re now taking jabs at the Belgian authorities regarding Dimitris Avramopoulos’s involvement in the Qatargate scandal.
Thus, Deputy Finance Minister Dimitris Markopoulos expressed his puzzlement over the Belgian authorities’ approach, while Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis noted:
“I don’t know what’s going on in Belgium, but I always like to stick to logic… In Belgium, the original investigator in this case has resigned and has been charged. The same has happened with the first prosecutor. Another prosecutor has taken over… apparently the Belgians are trying in some way to extricate themselves; they sent a summons to Avramopoulos… This case is absurd. I would call on the Belgian judges to decide whether to press charges,” he said.
ADONIS: The Minister of Health also participated in an online discussion with Stefanos Kasselakis, which, thanks to his skill, turned into a textbook “showcase of the government’s work,” even though his interlocutor is in the opposition.
The pleasantries between them were so abundant that Adonis went so far as to remark that, based on what Stefanos was saying, he could welcome him into New Democracy and the Ministry of Health. “You’re turning out to be quite right-wing,” he told him characteristically.
Mr. Georgiadis also said he was “very happy” to have met Tyler, Stefanos’s husband. “I don’t know if anyone has told you, but I’ve always spoken very highly of you from the start,” he can be heard telling him in the video, a sentiment shared by the couple’s dog, Farley, who accepted the minister’s warm pat.
PARLIAMENT: The government is attempting a legislative… diversion today, as it will call on Parliament to vote simultaneously on the exorbitant increase in “sacred” salaries (primarily a doubling of those for the Metropolitans) and the implementation of the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding borrowers.
Not that the run-up to the polls would allow the opposition to oppose the first measure, because who dares to challenge the Church’s influence… over the voting flock?
As for the second measure, however, a fierce debate is expected regarding the segment of borrowers who were excluded from the favorable arrangements because they failed to repay the installments—prior to the Supreme Court’s decision.
DIGITAL EURO: There was a lot of commotion yesterday in Brussels regarding the digital euro, as we reached an important milestone.
The European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs approved a proposal to create a digital euro, with 43 votes in favor, 14 against, and 1 abstention.
The first step was taken with an overwhelming majority, which bodes very well for what lies ahead. Next comes the vote in the Plenary, most likely in July, followed by the usual negotiations with the Council and the Commission to agree on the final text.
However, even in the most optimistic scenario, the legislation is not expected until the end of 2026, while the technical implementation and potential launch of the digital euro are projected for later, around 2029.
Needless to say, on the other side of the Atlantic, in the U.S., such processes would not take… six years from the initial plan to implementation. We note this because the European Commission’s original proposal was made as far back as 2023!
Our own Kyriakos Pierrakakis, who is now also president of the Eurogroup, insists that Europe must move faster, especially on digital technology issues, but the way the Union operates simply doesn’t allow for faster speeds.
“It’s a feature, not a bug,” as programmers say.
DIGITAL EURO II: Let’s be clear, though, that the “new” euro will not be a cryptocurrency or a stablecoin.
It will be a digital form of money, issued by the European Central Bank, for use via apps or cards, both online and offline.
Officially, it will complement cash, not replace it. There will be free basic services, limits on the amount each citizen can hold—to prevent a mass withdrawal of deposits from banks—and, as is strongly emphasized, special provisions for privacy.
HATZIPATERAS: Dorian LPG is moving forward with the renewal of its fleet, taking advantage of the particularly favorable conditions in the liquefied gas transport market. John Hatzipateras’s company announced the order of a new 90,000-cubic-meter VLGC from HD Hyundai Shipyards, with delivery scheduled for July 2029 and a cost of approximately $115 million.
At the same time, the company agreed to sell three of its older vessels, from which it is expected to receive a total of $256 million, effectively more than covering the cost of the new investment.
These moves come at a time when Dorian is posting some of the strongest results in its history. For the quarter ending in June, the company estimates that its fleet of 27 VLGCs will generate average daily revenue of over $68,000, the highest level in the past two years.
The outlook for July is even more impressive, as the company has already “locked in” 34% of the month’s available days with charter rates exceeding $100,000 per day.
CEO John Hatzipateras stated that the investment reflects management’s confidence in the long-term prospects of the LPG market.
KAYA CALLAS: The EU’s Foreign Affairs Ministry finds itself at the center of a new scandal, at a time when European foreign policy appears weaker than ever.
Despite the clouds that occasionally gather, Kaja Kallas seemed to possess unprecedented—as the whispers go—self-confidence. In the corridors of Brussels, whispers spoke of “powerful backers” protecting Kallas despite her occasional gaffes.
But then the “Dialog” scandal broke, featuring the all-powerful Peter Thiel, and sources say Callas’s position began to waver again, as it appeared she was linked to the billionaire and the secret club he had created.
According to revelations by WIRED, Callas’s name appeared in internal documents of “Dialog,” a closed network linked to Peter Thiel. A club with strict confidentiality rules, bringing together powerful figures from technology, politics, the economy, and national security.
The goal? To become the center of decision-making. And perhaps it already has, since it was founded in 2006. In any case, the influence of Thiel and his company (Palantir) has skyrocketed in recent years.
Kallas’s camp denies any connection to the club and states that she will not attend the August meeting near Dublin. But the question is why her name appeared on the specific lists discovered by a group of hackers and sent to WIRED magazine.
Paris and Berlin are seeking to determine whether and how many times Callas has been invited, and whether any of her decisions have been influenced by these specific contacts…
DIVIDENDS: Optima Bank and Interlife are currently trading without the right to the 2025 dividend.
Specifically, Optima is “cutting” its dividend to 0.23 euros per share, with the net amount to be received by shareholders standing at 0.2185 euros.
Similarly, Interlife is trading at a price that excludes the €0.25 per share, with shareholders receiving a net amount of €0.2375 per share.
ALLWYN: Optima foresees a stable dividend of at least 1 euro per share starting in 2026 and the prospect of double-digit dividend yields in the coming years for Allwyn, estimating that the company could become one of the most attractive income stocks in the European gaming sector.
The brokerage firm places particular emphasis on the company’s shareholder remuneration policy, noting that management has committed to a minimum annual dividend of 1 euro per share starting in 2026, while strong cash flow generation creates room for a gradual increase in distributions in the coming years.
According to Optima’s forecasts, the dividend per share (DPS) is expected to reach 1 euro in 2026, rise to 1.19 euros in 2027, to 1.32 euros in 2028 and to 1.44 euros in 2029, before reaching 1.49 euros in 2030 and 1.46 euros in 2031.
Accordingly, the estimated dividend yield is projected to be 7.3% in 2026, 8.8% in 2027, 9.7% in 2028, 10.6% in 2029, and will exceed 11% in 2030, before settling at 10.7% in 2031.
Optima also points out that Allwyn already offers one of the highest dividend yields among European companies in the sector, far exceeding the average of its international competitors.
Beyond the dividend, the report highlights as one of the most interesting points the significant improvement in the group’s financial position after 2026. Leverage is estimated to peak at 3.6 times EBITDA due to acquisitions and related payments, but will then decline rapidly to below 3 times, thanks to free cash flows expected to average 1.1 billion euros annually during the 2026–2030 period.
This creates additional room for both increased dividends and new share buybacks in the future.
It should be noted that Optima initiated coverage with a target price of 15.25 euros, seeing an attractive entry point for the stock.
PIRAEUS: According to reports, it received regulatory approval for a capital return of 494.38 million euros, and consequently proceeded to file the decision with the General Commercial Registry (GEMI).
Following the posting of the decision, a 40-day waiting period is required, which ends on August 2. Piraeus Bank, based on the updated schedule, will cut off the right to the capital return on August 3, with the record date for beneficiaries set for August 4 and payments set to begin on August 7.
PIRAEUS II: At the same time, the bank also received approval for the mini buyback. The buyback program provides for the purchase of up to 11,000,000 shares (0.89% of the share capital) at a minimum price of 3 euros and a maximum of 12 euros.
The cost of the program, as calculated, does not exceed 33 million euros, plus transaction fees. The repurchased shares will either be canceled or used to distribute bonuses to group employees.