Milena Apostolaki today highlighted in parliament the government’s complete acquiescence in the financial exclusion of millions of citizens, even as Greek banks post billions of euros in profits. She was speaking during a debate on her parliamentary question about the dramatic contraction of the network of bank branches and ATMs.
Deputy Finance Minister Markopoulos made no specific commitment to halt the contraction of the banking network and offered no substantive plan to tackle exclusion. Instead, he confined himself to platitudes while acknowledging the problem.
The PASOK MP highlighted the stark contradiction between surging bank profits and the exclusion of citizens. The four systemic banks posted net profits of more than €2.5 billion in the first half of 2026 alone, while shareholder distributions in 2025 amounted to €2.83 billion.
At the same time, Greece has lost 67% of its bank branches, compared with 45.9% in the eurozone. More than 2.5 million citizens live over five kilometres from a bank branch, while 410,332 face a drive of more than half an hour to access banking services. In regional Greece, almost 600,000 residents live more than 20 kilometres from a branch, while 601,164 are more than 10 kilometres from an ATM.
When banks needed society’s support, the stability of the financial system was safeguarded. Now, as they report billions in profits, serving that same society is treated as an operating cost to be cut, she said.
Her criticism was particularly sharp over the government’s hypocrisy on the demographic challenge and regional development. “What value do your declarations on the demographic challenge have when you make everyday life increasingly difficult for those who choose to live in regional areas and drive young people away?” she asked.
The PASOK MP stressed that digitalisation cannot be used as a pretext for abandoning entire areas. She also set out PASOK’s proposals for binding geographic coverage criteria and an assessment of social impacts before any branch or ATM is closed.
As Milena Apostolaki noted, the government cannot behave as if it were merely a commentator on reality. It is responsible for governing the country. By failing to introduce binding measures, the government is effectively giving banks the green light to continue closing branches and ATMs, sacrificing citizens’ day-to-day lives at the altar of bank profitability.
This is the reality today: billions in profits for banks, fewer and fewer services for citizens and no meaningful government intervention.