The role of Greece as an investment gateway combining European institutional stability with access to the dynamic markets of the Mediterranean and the Middle East was highlighted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking at the 18th Annual Meeting of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF), taking place in Athens from 11 to 13 November, hosted by the Hellenic Growth Fund.
Greece “offers unique prospects for institutional investors making long-term investments”, the prime minister said, describing an economy that has restored its fiscal credibility, strengthened its banking system and regained investment-grade status.
He noted that the reforms were reflected in growth rates twice the eurozone average, falling unemployment and stronger investment and exports. The country’s strategic location, membership of the EU, the eurozone and NATO, and strong ties with the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf, Mr Mitsotakis said, provide a stable framework for new investment and strategic partnerships.
He placed particular emphasis on the opportunities created by the country’s energy and digital transformation: from renewables and electricity grids — including, he announced, the first exploratory drilling in the country in 40 years, scheduled for the second quarter of 2027 — to energy storage and interconnections, as well as data centres, cloud services and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
He also highlighted potential in research and development, the pharmaceutical and defence industries, urban regeneration and the use of strategic real estate, linking the attraction of long-term capital with the strengthening of Greece’s productive and technological base.
Proceedings were opened by Obaid Amrane, CEO of Ithmar Capital and chair of the IFSWF. This was followed by an address by Yannis Papachristou, CEO of the Hellenic Growth Fund, and then a panel discussion, “Athens and Phronesis”, featuring him and Stathis Kalyvas, Gladstone Professor of Government at the University of Oxford. Dan Katz, First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), also spoke.
Key points from the first day’s discussions included:
The constantly changing geopolitical and investment environment is reshaping the risks sovereign wealth funds must manage and the opportunities they seek.
The quality of the decision-making process is as important as the outcome, and practical wisdom requires constantly questioning assumptions, recognising cognitive traps and looking beyond immediate gain.
Sovereign wealth funds must combine a long-term investment strategy with diversification, resilience and sound judgement in an environment of heightened geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
Sovereign wealth funds can play an important role in safeguarding national wealth, stimulating the national economy and achieving long-term strategic goals, with transparency and accountability.
Greece is an example of economic transformation, having strengthened its investment environment and regained the confidence of international investors. The Hellenic Growth Fund is developing into an active sovereign investor, with the aim of mobilising domestic and international capital and creating economic and social value. It manages assets worth more than €12 billion across 15 sectors of the Greek economy and seven thematic pillars.
As part of the IFSWF’s annual review, new initiatives and activities were presented, covering the analysis of investment trends, the use of artificial intelligence and knowledge-sharing among members.
The 18th Annual Meeting of the IFSWF, themed “Sovereign Capital in a Contested World”, is an important milestone, bringing representatives of leading sovereign investment organisations to Greece. It is taking place as the Hellenic Growth Fund transitions into a modern development institution.
Participants include sovereign wealth funds from Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
The IFSWF has 47 members, which collectively manage $10 trillion in assets and play a pivotal role in channelling long-term capital into the global economy.