DENDIAS: The Minister of Defense sent a resounding message to the interior of ND at his first pre-election event, in Alimos.
In the presence of a large crowd that responded to the call, Nikos Dendias, MP for the southern sector of Athens, appeared unifying (referring even to Antonis Samaras) and, according to a blue MP, “ready for the next day.”
“This family, ND, I not only loved, but I also protected it as much as I could. I did not hurt it, I did not create a problem for it. I supported it in the good times, I supported it in the difficult times. I supported it in our victories and, much more importantly, I supported it with all of you in our defeats…
I served with all my soul its three presidents and prime ministers, Kostas Karamanlis, Antonis Samaras and Kyriakos Mitsotakis,” he stressed, among other things, in his greeting.
At the same time, he attempted to give an answer to those who accuse him of not defending the government's work, like some of his other colleagues.
“Whatever I had to say, I did not say it on television windows, in interviews in newspapers, but in the pre-congress dialogue and at the congress itself. I spoke very clearly in Komotini. I spoke very clearly in Agrinio. I spoke very clearly at the party congress about what I think should be done, where I think the party should go,” he said.
With the polls showing him as the most popular minister, the Corfiot, keeping his (political) behavior cautious, is maintaining a wait-and-see stance and awaiting the election result. His next moves will depend on that.
P.S. To be fair, however, Antonis Samaras is also referred to in ND's anniversary video, with the help of Artificial Intelligence, for its 52nd birthday. Specifically, through digitally processed images and a sequence of snapshots, all the leaders of the party appear in order. Among them is the Messinian as well.
SAMARAS: And since the subject is the former prime minister, December, as the column is informed, is the most likely month in which he will announce his new party.
Mr. Samaras, who over the weekend with two new interventions (here and here) launched fierce fire at the government, is said to have almost completed his electoral lists -in their overwhelming majority- and is preparing the offices that will house his political venture.
These will be above the offices of Livani publications, at the intersection of Hippokratous and Solonos streets, in the center of Athens, despite reports of a “shipwreck” of the relevant agreement.
The Messinian, with his interventions, is targeting the right-wing audience – primarily ND voters, denouncing the party's deviation from the principles and values of its founding declaration, as they were set down 52 years ago -as if yesterday- by Konstantinos Karamanlis.
The former prime minister's next strike is expected this week, at the “Vima” conference, where his government partner and vice president of his government, Evangelos Venizelos, will also intervene.
TRIANTOPOULOS: The former deputy minister denies the claims of Maria Karystianou that he had said the bodies of the victims at the site of the Tempi accident were “meat for transport.”
In a written statement, Christos Triantopoulos, who is being referred to the Special Court over the “cover-up” case, noted that he absolutely respects the pain of the relatives of the deceased, however he has a duty to his family and children to respond to what was said, in her new institutional capacity, by the president of “Hope for Democracy.”
He spoke of “a vulgar lie that leads to a slippery road, which I will not follow. Besides, the procedure before my natural judge – as I requested from the very first moment, is now very close. And the truth there will shine.”
MAZONAKIS DEATH: The leak of information from the defendants' depositions caused the reaction of the defense of doctor Ilias Theodoropoulos.
In its announcement, the law office of Nikos Agapinos “expresses its abhorrence” at the fact.
“Given that this leak did not come from institutional bodies of Justice, the defense requests that it be investigated with the same sensitivity shown in all directions who made the leak and that the appropriate sanctions be imposed on the offenders.”
“Given the very limited circle of persons who have the possibility of access to the case file, it is very easy,” it points out.
EUROBANK: The bank is proceeding with the construction of a social housing complex in the Municipality of Orestiada in the Evros prefecture.
It is a complex, with a mixed buildable area of approximately 400 sq.m., which will be erected on an owned plot, with an area of almost 2 stremmas, within the settlement of Pyrgos in the Municipality of Orestiada.
It will include 9 apartments (6 studios of 35 sq.m. each, 2 apartments of 45 sq.m. each and 1 apartment of 90 sq.m.) with 9 outdoor parking spaces. The residences will be made available to house teachers, doctors, nurses and other Public Sector employees, who are called to serve in the area.
The project is being promoted within the framework of the program that the bank has been “running” for five years now for Evros, with a series of actions to address the demographic problem, through strengthening employment, financing small and very small local entrepreneurship, as well as with programs for new housing and social structures, such as the aforementioned one.
EUROBANK II: A few months after Mumbai, Nikos Christodoulides and Fokion Karavias were together again, this time in Nicosia.
The CEO of Eurobank traveled for the day on Friday to Cyprus for the presentation of the architectural proposal of the new Day Center in Strovolos for people at the most severe end of the autism spectrum, a 2 million euro project financed entirely by Eurobank, while also undertaking the supervision and management of its implementation.
The previous joint snapshot of Christodoulides–Karavias was at the end of May, in Mumbai, where the President of the Republic of Cyprus was inaugurating the start of operations of Eurobank's Representative Office in India, in the presence also of Stavros Ioannou and Michalis Louis.
It had been preceded, at the end of April, by another project with a strong Greece–Cyprus axis: the inauguration of UNIC Athens in Elliniko, in the presence of Nikos Christodoulides and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with Eurobank having a financing role in the project and Deputy CEO and head of CIB Konstantinos Vasileiou representing the Bank.
Three different images within a few months – Elliniko, Mumbai, Nicosia – showing how multilayered Eurobank's relationship with Cyprus is.
NATIONAL-GENIKI APOTHIKON: An amount of 19.3 million euros was called upon to be paid by Geniki Apothikon (PAEGAE) by decision of the court of appeal. Although the subsidiary of National does not mention for which case it paid the above compensation, nor the court of appeal that tried it, the market assumes that it concerns the old case of Kapniki Michailidis.
Geniki Apothikon intends to challenge the decision, as its (external) legal advisers estimate that it has valid grounds “for the success of the legal actions and recovery of the amounts paid.” Hence PAEGAE's claims from disputed cases soared to 16.45 million euros from 5.6 million euros on 31/12/2024.
HARD ROCK ATHENS: Last March, the company paid the second installment of the initial price, amounting to 135 million euros for the right to use the plot in Elliniko, on which it is developing a hotel, conference spaces and a casino.
The works on the two towers of the complex are in the floor concreting phase, while masonry works are also unfolding in parallel.
ALLIANZ-EUROPAIKI PISTI: The insurance company acquired a new CEO, with Mr. Ersin Pak succeeding Vasilis Christidis. Cristian Galizzi remained Chairman of the Board.
The change of CEO was carried out a few months before the start of the long-term exclusive bancassurance cooperation with National Bank (editor's note: it is estimated that it will start in the first quarter of 2027).
The agreement with National provides that the latter will acquire 30% of Allianz Europaiki Pisti.
EUROCLINIC: Generali is reaching into its pocket to strengthen Euroclinic, which it acquired a year ago. On September 21, it decided, as sole shareholder of Euroclinic, on a capital increase of 19.19 million euros.
The share capital increase may finance the repayment of Euroclinic bond issues held by Generali, worth approximately 20 million euros.
Euroclinic showed negative working capital last year, with short-term liabilities exceeding current assets by 17.66 million euros.
IASO: The IASO group's EBITDA reached 45 million euros in fiscal year 2025, recording an increase of 13.1%, with turnover amounting to 174 million euros (+10%). Profit after taxes amounted to 6.59 million euros, affected by an additional tax of 4.4 million euros, due to temporary and permanent differences.
Net debt amounted to 173.15 million euros (net debt/EBITDA 3.8x), while net cash flows from operating activities (15.5 million euros) covered the year's capex (13.68 million euros), with free cash flow generation amounting to 1.86 million euros.
Piraeus is the largest lender of the Iaso group, with a bond loan of 230 million euros, maturing in 2029.
The impending agreement between Imithea and Iaso concerns, according to information, a merger. If the information on the exchange ratio is confirmed, private equity fund Oaktree, which controls Iaso, will end up with a majority stake (editor's note: around 55%) in the new company that will result from the merger. Strix's percentage will move, respectively, around 45%.
It is recalled that Imithea (Errikos Dynan and former Euromedica clinics) belongs to Piraeus (editor's note: through Strix Holdings), but is under the management of fund Blantyre (through Strix Asset Management).
Therefore, Piraeus has not consolidated it for years.
KRI KRI: The strategy aimed at doubling yogurt production by 2028 and almost tripling it by 2030 was presented by the Serres dairy industry to investors and analysts in the context of the “European Midcap Event 2026.”
The listed company foresees total investments of 127 million euros by 2030 for this purpose, seeing opportunities in countries with high yogurt consumption. In the presentations it referred to the target of 400 million euros in turnover this year and to the slight reduction in the forecast for earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) to the zone of 57.58 million euros.
On the board, the stock moved against the current on Friday, rising to 32.9 euros (+2.02%). The all-time high stands at 33.6 euros from September 21.
DIMAND: The listed company keeps the 30% of Piraeus Tower in assets held for sale, as the agreement with the Papalekas group (VYP Group Ltd) has not been completed, although the 16.5 million euro advance was given last year.
According to information, the Papalekas side is discussing the acquisition also of the 70% of Piraeus Tower, which are jointly held (editor's note: through Cante Holdings) by Dimand and EBRD. Last year, Piraeus Tower showed sales of 5 million euros, with financial expenses amounting to 5.8 million euros and other expenses to 0.9 million euros.
If there had not been the gain from the revaluation of property value of 4.4 million euros, it would have posted losses. Moreover, short-term liabilities on December 31, 2025 exceeded current assets by 13.2 million euros.
Its net debt amounted at the end of 2025 to 68.7 million euros. The tower, after its radical renovation, was inaugurated in June 2024, but the full lease-up of the property was expected this year, as noted by the management of Piraeus Tower in the financial statements for fiscal year 2025.