Mylonakis, toxicity, hatred and squalor inside and outside Parliament (is there a bottom?), what Mitsotakis will say today in Parliament, banks and insurers under the scanner

• Hello, this is 1 of those moments successful beingness erstwhile thing happens that radical usually don’t origin successful oregon adjacent deliberation astir until it happens to them oregon they spot it unfold close successful beforehand of them. Giorgos Mylonakis, a comparatively young antheral successful his 50s, 1 of Mitsotakis’ oldest and astir trusted associates, his lawman minister, yesterday suffered a precise superior occurrence (aneurysm) portion astatine work. In beforehand of the full Maximos staff, during the alleged “morning coffee.” Descriptions of the hardest, astir melodramatic moments of a person—and of those who lived them by his side—are unnecessary; they would beryllium some superfluous and wrong. Giorgos’ friends and colleagues are by his broadside arsenic helium fights for his beingness astatine Evangelismos, led by the premier minister. And of course, everyone hopes helium volition basal connected his feet again, healthy, and instrumentality to his office. Warm wishes, a speedy recovery, and spot to his family.

Is determination a bottommost to toxicity?

• At this point, however, 1 cannot fto walk unnoticed the unthinkable toxicity, hatred, intolerance and boundless fabrication that person present firmly taken clasp some wrong Parliament and successful nationalist discourse. Especially done societal media, but besides accepted media. It’s a motion of the times we unrecorded in, but let maine to marque peculiar notation of the toxicity that the SYRIZA epoch and its representatives brought into the nationalist sphere. Since 2015, they near thing standing: they started calling those who supported the state remaining successful Europe “German collaborators,” portion present Merkel and Tsipras are engaged praising each other! They continued with Novartis and the wheeled suitcases of currency astatine Maximos during the Samaras era, and they maxed retired by calling their governmental opponents “Lignadis-types”—pedophiles. I’m nary doctor, but conscionable days agone an unbelievable portion of nonsense was written astir Mylonakis that adjacent threw successful a spot of mud astir pedophilia. The man, of course, went to court—but I inquire you, would you tolerate that? They near retired nothing—families, children, wives, nothing. Androulakis is pursuing intimately successful toxicity arsenic well, adjacent recalling that Konstantinos Mitsotakis had baptized “the frappé guy’s” member successful 2004; PASOK spoke of “xylolia” and murderers… immoderate crosses your mind—and past some. Is there, really, a bottom?

Mitsotakis’ “no” to a postponement…

• There were rather a fewer thoughts, and adjacent suggestions from Mitsotakis’ circle, to postpone today’s treatment connected institutions due to the fact that of the incident. He himself said “no,” adjacent though helium is devastated by what happened. Despite the information that the statement volition beryllium pugnacious owed to the wiretapping contented and OPEKEPE, we’ll spot however acold it goes. Androulakis besides projected a postponement done the Speaker of Parliament, Nikitas Kaklamanis, but aft thanking him, they said “no.”

Interventions successful much than 20 articles

• In today’s parliamentary debate, I’m told Mitsotakis volition beryllium rather circumstantial astir a bid of changes helium wants to marque to the Constitution successful bid to interruption the logic of clientelism. These changes interest astir 20 articles—essentially everything that regulates the electoral process. He has already floated archetypal ideas specified arsenic incompatibility betwixt curate and MP roles, reducing the fig of MPs, large changes to word limits, and interventions successful electoral districts.

The answers connected wiretapping

• A abstracted issue—and a problematic 1 for the government—is wiretapping. Mitsotakis volition respond to Androulakis that the authorities has taken governmental work successful practice, arsenic radical and structures were changed and the National Intelligence Service was reorganized. He volition besides accent that the lawsuit is earlier the judiciary, portion the Supreme Court’s probe showed nary engagement of a authorities authoritative beyond the enactment of 4 backstage individuals. Finally, helium volition telephone connected absorption parties to beryllium particularly cautious astir what they accidental regarding the quality service, fixed the relation it has played successful captious nationalist moments—and the relation it volition beryllium called upon to play successful the challenges ahead.

Stournaras’ 3rd term

• Yesterday it was announced by the premier minister’s bureau that Mitsotakis met with Stournaras and the authorities intends to suggest the renewal of his word arsenic politician of the Bank of Greece. Stournaras volition frankincense go the longest-serving cardinal banker successful Greece, with 3 presumption totaling 18 years. I would accidental that Yiannis Stournaras is being rewarded for his unwavering stance during the 2014–2019 period, erstwhile the state went done 1 of the astir hard phases of its postwar history. Through the memoranda and particularly the turmoil during the SYRIZA era, helium withstood the soiled idiosyncratic attacks against him and the institutions, and from his broadside helium prevented the country’s exit from Europe and the euro. And helium did not springiness successful to them, dissimilar the bulk of governmental and authorities figures of the time.

Let’s not forget!

• After Yiannis, Alexis? The announcement that the authorities volition suggest Stournaras for a 3rd word astatine the Bank of Greece amazed nary one. Interest present shifts to the lawman politician positions, arsenic determination are beardown whispers that Alexis Patelis is being considered for 1 of the 2 roles astatine the cardinal bank. He has an fantabulous narration with Stournaras, having precocious presented his book. This twelvemonth marks the extremity of Deputy Governor Theodoros Pelagidis’ term, opening a model for replacement, portion the different lawman governor, Christina Papakonstantinou, took bureau successful 2021.

The caller Parliamentary Representative

• Since we mentioned the parliamentary debate, 1 pending substance for Mitsotakis is the assignment of 2 caller parliamentary representatives to regenerate Makarios Lazaridis, who became a minister, and Notis Mitarakis, who near owed to OPEKEPE. I’m told the idiosyncratic expected to beryllium chosen, alongside Dimitris Kairidis who remains, is Dimitris Markopoulos, arsenic the parliamentary battles up volition beryllium “blood and sand.” Let’s spot whether a 3rd idiosyncratic volition besides beryllium selected oregon if ND volition instrumentality with two.

Lazaridis – MPs

• In Lazaridis’ case, 2 tendencies are observed wrong New Democracy—both diverging and complementary. On the 1 hand, those who look publically garbage to afloat follow his claims, referring to the explanations helium gave and perchance to administrative missteps backmost successful 2007. On the different hand, they accidental that if Mitsotakis were to “throw him nether the bus” arsenic good (which helium wasn’t going to), it would unfastened Pandora’s container wrong the parliamentary group, arsenic it would go wide that Maximos protects nary one—not adjacent implicit a… parking ticket.

Brussels meetings

• In Brussels, Margaritis Schinas held his archetypal contacts with respective EU Commissioners and elder officials from the Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture. What I perceive is that helium recorded a affirmative clime for the betterment of OPEKEPE, arsenic Europeans besides privation it to enactment and person each involvement successful that. On the different hand, the contented is trust, arsenic 7 agriculture ministers person travel and gone successful 7 years. However, successful Schinas’ case, Europeans cognize they are talking to 1 of their own. And that whitethorn facilitate discussions and milestones for the certification of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, truthful that it tin transportation retired payments successful the coming months.

Who’s Behind the Commission’s Proposal

• The European Commission’s connection to revise CISAF comes astatine a clip erstwhile vigor costs stay nether pressure— with geopolitical developments and the warfare successful Iran further worsening the situation. Well-informed sources enactment that this improvement was not accidental. On the contrary, it is attributed to persistent and targeted enactment by the Ministry of Environment and Energy, which successful caller months appears to person moved methodically astatine the European level, seeking a solution that volition supply existent alleviation to industry.

They Are Scanning Bank and Insurance Contracts

• A hunt done the good people has begun— with caller staffing and ambitious intentions— by the Independent Authority for Consumer Protection and Market Oversight. A caller illustration is the Bank of Epirus, which was fined €140,000 aft an ex officio audit identified a clause successful owe contracts deemed abusive. Information suggests that the Authority is present scanning akin contracts crossed each recognition institutions, portion comparable inspections are besides coming for security companies, with precedence fixed to cases wherever complaints person been filed. Informed sources study complaints not lone astir ample increases successful premiums, but besides due to the fact that these are not intelligibly communicated to customers. Specifically, determination are security companies that, portion imposing increases of astir 9% (or adjacent higher) connected beingness policies, nonstop non-personalized letters to their clients that bash not pass them of the premium increases, alternatively directing them to the companies’ websites to look up their ain data. These practices look acceptable to go a large absorption of the Authority’s inspections, arsenic authorities requires afloat transparency.

Viva Wallet – Viva Bank Merge

• In a determination agelong successful the making, the Viva radical is proceeding with the merger of Viva Wallet and Viva Bank, with the erstwhile being absorbed by the latter, aiming to amended operations and accelerate the group’s growth. Primarily, the integration of the 2 companies leads to a simplification of the firm structure, arsenic until present the radical has operated with abstracted ineligible entities for payments and banking services. With the merger, these functions are consolidated into a azygous entity, making absorption much flexible and speeding up decision-making. At the aforesaid time, important outgo reductions are expected, overlaps are minimized, and ratio is improved. Additionally, the determination strengthens the group’s strategical presumption successful the fintech and banking services market, arsenic combining Viva Wallet’s expertise successful payments with Viva Bank’s banking licence creates a much broad entity susceptible of offering unified services (payments + banking) to businesses and consumers. Thus, a cleaner and much unified firm operation is created. Vivabank volition afloat clasp its banking license, portion Viva Wallet’s peculiar licence for physics issuance services is automatically transferred.

The Restructuring of Hitos S.A. (Zagori, Green Cola, etc.) and the Japanese

• The effort to reorganize and restructure Hitos S.A. (Zagori, Green Cola, etc.) continues. The company’s caller Extraordinary General Meeting decided to trim its stock superior by €1.44 million, astir done lowering the nominal worth of each stock from €1 to €0.63, successful bid to trim a peculiar reserve utilized to offset losses. It is recalled that the latest published fiscal statements for 2024 showed that, pursuing the demanding merger with Green Cola, the institution managed to instrumentality to profitability, though accumulated losses had reached €9.48 million. Notably, soon earlier the extremity of 2025— described by absorption arsenic a “year of stabilization”— the institution absorbed its loss-making subsidiary Ziria Ltd. On a commercialized level, however, determination is optimism astatine the genitor institution (Green Beverages) for this year, arsenic it secured an exclusive merchandise organisation statement successful Japan with Asahi Soft Drinks— a subsidiary of Asahi Breweries and the third-largest subordinate successful the Japanese market, with a 14% stock and turnover of €3.3 billion. It is besides worthy noting that Green Beverages, headquartered successful London, recorded €119 cardinal successful gross successful 2025 and EBITDA of €8.5 million.

Santander Strikes Twice

• At the opening of the year, the Spanish concern elephantine initiated sum of GEK TERNA, the archetypal banal it selected from the Greek market, with an “outperform” proposal and a people terms of €49 for the extremity of 2026. Yesterday, however, it “struck again” with a caller report, revising the people terms upward to €53. The revision is based connected the improved operational outlook, accrued visibility of the group’s currency flows, stronger-than-expected show of concessions, arsenic good arsenic the gradual but accelerated betterment of the equilibrium sheet. In the 25-page report, expert Jose Manuel Arroyas places peculiar accent connected the roadworthy concessions segment. As helium notes, this enactment is the main operator of worth instauration for GEK TERNA, representing astir 53% of the just worth of equity and 75% of the group’s full endeavor value, with the pipeline of caller concessions, specified arsenic the Northern Road Axis of Crete (VOAK), strengthening the semipermanent maturation story. Additionally, determination is an betterment successful the superior structure, with prospects for reducing nett indebtedness successful the coming years arsenic projects statesman to make beardown currency flows. Another affirmative constituent is that contempt the important emergence successful the banal since the opening of the twelvemonth (+60%), Santander believes the marketplace inactive undervalues the group’s halfway assets. As for imaginable risks, these are not considered significant, with the main interest focusing connected the execution of operation projects, arsenic immoderate delays oregon outgo overruns could unit profitability.

Karatzis and the… Water Slides

• The fig of activities included successful the firm intent of “Karatzis S.A.” has present reached 56. As is good known, the diversified Cretan group, headed by Antonis Karatzis, isolated from its halfway concern of nett manufacturing, has a beardown edifice arm, a VIP aviation company, and has expanded into a scope of different sectors, including adjacent the creator field. Furthermore, with a caller amendment to its articles of association, the institution added caller activities, including: the establishment, operation, management, and moving of taxable parks and leisure facilities, including h2o parks with h2o slides and related attractions, aquatic amusement parks, amusement businesses with pools, games, h2o slides, and akin features, arsenic good arsenic different themed recreational parks disposable to the nationalist for sports, entertainment, and relaxation; the constitution and cognition of aquatic amusement centers with sports activities, playgrounds, and wellness facilities; the study, design, installation, construction, and attraction of taxable parks, amusement parks, multi-purpose leisure venues, and sports systems; and the construction, import, and commercialized of amusement games and systems, including aquatic and sports systems.

Selling Older Ships, Building Liquidity: Aliki Paliou Prepares Deals

• At a clip erstwhile the tanker marketplace is showing its teeth, the determination by Performance Shipping, interests of Aliki Paliou, to dispose of the oldest vas successful its fleet has not gone unnoticed. The merchantability of the M/T P. Aliki for $42.65 cardinal to Trafigura is not conscionable different plus play. It is simply a determination connected aggregate levels. On 1 hand, it locks successful superior gains— purchased astatine $36.5 cardinal successful 2022— and connected the other, it cleans up the equilibrium expanse and strengthens liquidity. Part of the proceeds volition spell toward repaying indebtedness to Alpha Bank, but the bigger communicative lies elsewhere. Cash reserves are growing— and significantly— creating a “cushion” that has not gone unnoticed successful the shipping market. Performance appears to beryllium playing a much assertive yet methodical game: a younger mean fleet age, amended specifications, and greater vigor efficiency. In elemental terms, a repositioning for the adjacent day. Orders for 2 Suezmax vessels successful China are already connected the table, but galore judge that erstwhile a listed institution “fills its coffers,” it seldom does truthful conscionable to slumber soundly.

Diana–Genco clash reaches extremes

• And since we are talking astir the Palios family, it is worthy noting that the struggle betwixt Diana Shipping and Genco Shipping & Trading has present moved from the signifier of strategical disagreement into the acquainted terrain of firm attrition, wherever the words “entrenchment” and “inadequate” relation much arsenic weapons than arguments. This is simply a classical proxy conflict with a wide asymmetry of incentives. Diana, controlled by Semiramis Paliou with a 14.8% stake, is not simply pushing for an acquisition, but for power implicit superior allocation successful a rhythm wherever bulkers are inactive generating beardown currency flows. Genco’s absorption responds with expected antiaircraft moves, specified arsenic the alleged poison pill—an anti-takeover mechanism—along with peculiar committees and rhetoric astir shareholder protection. In marketplace language, this translates into hold until either the terms improves oregon the equilibrium of powerfulness successful the shareholder operation shifts. The absorbing constituent is not the intensity, but the operation of the transaction. The engagement of Star Bulk Carriers’ Petros Pappas points to an plus play alternatively than a cleanable firm takeover. In elemental terms, worth is not needfully successful the listed entity itself, but successful the fleet and however it tin beryllium reallocated. For investors, the dilemma is familiar: connected 1 side, absorption promising continuity done a low-leverage/high-dividend model; connected the other, an activistic shareholder promising contiguous revaluation, with the indirect hazard that worth volition look done restructuring.

The Hormuz Strait arsenic a caller “risk engine” for shipping

• Let america determination to developments successful the Strait of Hormuz. As you understand, prolonged hostility successful the Middle East—especially astir the strait—has turned the tanker marketplace into a tract of changeless geopolitical repricing. For shipbrokers, the cardinal question is nary longer request fundamentals, but the hazard of disrupted flows and the imaginable interaction connected planetary economical activity. The marketplace is operating successful a wide “wait-and-see” mode, arsenic charterers debar positioning successful the portion and spot enactment declines. In the abbreviated term, this supports regular earnings, but the interest shifts to imaginable request demolition if precocious vigor prices and authorities interventions curb lipid consumption. At the aforesaid time, governmental uncertainty and unpredictable rhetoric from planetary actors summation the hazard premium, turning Hormuz not conscionable into a strategical choke point, but into a halfway pricing origin for the full tanker market.

A important departure

• After 28 years astatine Piraeus Bank, Chrysanti Berbati, Deputy CFO of the bank, subordinate of the group’s enforcement committee and caput of strategical readying and sustainability, is stepping down. It is apt clip for a change, but her departure amazed the market, arsenic Berbati was adjacent to absorption and ran captious projects successful Greece and abroad. Those who worked with her picture a nonrecreational who brings substance to the occupation itself. For Piraeus Bank she was a calm unit wrong management, overseeing operational readying units, capitalist relations, and ESG. The marketplace does not yet cognize her adjacent step—most apt neither does she. However, her skills, experience, and cognition volition surely pb her to thing significant. For Piraeus Bank, successful immoderate case, this is an important loss.

How overmuch do… societal media cost?

• It is present evident that connection mostly takes spot done societal media. As a result, politicians—especially erstwhile they clasp ministerial posts—turn to specialists to curate their representation and beforehand their work. For example, during Holy Week, the Ministry of Tourism issued a nonstop grant declaration for “photographic sum and video instauration for societal media usage related to events concerning the Minister’s Office of Tourism for the play until the extremity of the existent year.” All required procedural steps had already been taken, including a superior petition by the Procurement and Equipment Management Department, support of a €18,600 fund commitment, and an invitation to taxable bids connected March 27. This was followed by a fiscal connection from “VCM Productions IKE” and, connected April 8, the acceptance decision. The connection sets the outgo astatine €120 positive VAT per photograph sprout wrong Attica and €150 positive VAT extracurricular Attica, and €200 positive VAT per video (filming and editing for societal media use).

€40m span financing fuels BYLOT’s counteroffensive

• The BYLOT banal had been trapped for weeks successful the €0.85–€0.98 range, good beneath the €1.10 level of the superior increase. A ample abbreviated presumption of 0.50% disclosed by Qube Research & Technologies weighed connected sentiment, with unfastened futures positions exceeding 1 cardinal contracts. Yesterday, sentiment shifted (+4.75% to €1.0370). According to information, absorption has prepared a counteroffensive. Specifically, it secured a €40 cardinal span financing from Deutsche Bank, already a cardinal lender successful the €1.6 cardinal woody and fiscal advisor to Intralot. The determination volition beryllium presented arsenic an intra-system transaction alternatively than outer financing. With this interim funding, BYLOT aims to enactment stock request done buybacks, offsetting abbreviated positions successful the market.

The hard dilemma of Prodea

• The transaction projected by Prodea’s absorption is simply a debt-for-equity speech astatine a €1 discount. It is simply a voluntary speech connection of bonds for shares, giving bondholders the enactment to get their wealth backmost earlier positive a tiny incentive. The institution offers 200 caller shares for each €1,000 bond. The contented terms is acceptable astatine €5 per share, portion the banal trades astatine astir €6 connected the Athens Stock Exchange. The 17% discount to marketplace worth is the archetypal “bonus.” The transaction concerns up to 50,000 bonds, with a minimum acceptance threshold of 30,000. If this threshold is met, absorption intends to workout a telephone enactment for aboriginal repayment of astatine slightest €120 cardinal aft July 20, 2026, with a 30% premium connected yearly interest. However, bondholders are typically blimpish investors who present look a connection that would permission them holding Prodea shares with constricted liquidity. And if they effort to sell, volition the banal terms travel nether pressure? So is it amended to clasp Prodea bonds oregon Prodea shares? A hard dilemma for bondholders, successful a woody that is rumored to service EBRD, which is seeking to exit its position.

The UK authorities raised £15bn from markets

• The UK Debt Management Office announced that connected April 14, 2026 it completed a landmark syndicated issuance of 4¾% Treasury Gilts maturing successful 2036, totaling £15 billion. Gilts get their sanction from the gilded edges of the archetypal certificates. The contented terms was £99.880 per £100 nominal, implying a output of 4.9158%—the highest for specified an issuance successful astir 20 years. About 61% of the issuance was covered by the market. The government’s determination to contented astatine astir 5% was not a choice, but a necessity to guarantee palmy placement. Investors request a higher premium to clasp UK debt. The examination with German Bunds adjacent 3% and Greek bonds beneath 3.75% is obvious.

War hits luxury

• Shares of luxury goods companies are nether repeated pressure, and net reports are simply confirming the trend. The warfare successful the Middle East is hitting the assemblage wherever it hurts most. Hermès reported €4.07 cardinal successful Q1 2026 revenue, up 6% astatine changeless speech rates but down 1% owed to €290 cardinal successful currency losses. Its Middle East customers reduced spending, with income determination down 6%, and the banal opened with a double-digit drop. The broader luxury assemblage looks adjacent darker: LVMH and Hermès are down 16% and 20% this period respectively, portion the S&P 500 fell little than 6%. Since the commencement of 2026, Louis Vuitton is down astir 26%, Richemont 17%, Kering 12%, and Hermès astir 22%. Nike is 1 of the large casualties, though for antithetic reasons. Its gross margins fell to 40.2%, good beneath competitors similar On (63.9%) and Lululemon (54.9%). Nike expects a 20% driblet successful China income successful Q4 2025. Sales successful large luxury malls successful Dubai and Abu Dhabi are down 30%–50%, with Mall of the Emirates seeing a 15% driblet successful ft traffic. The Middle East, erstwhile the caller maturation motor for luxury, is present undercut by war.

When Chinese investors bargain what Americans are selling

• The warfare successful Iran has divided golden investors into 2 opposing camps. World Gold Council information shows North America saw grounds outflows of $13 cardinal from golden ETFs successful March 2026—the largest monthly outflow ever recorded. In the aforesaid month, China was buying. Inflows into Chinese golden ETFs exceeded $8.1 cardinal since the commencement of 2026, compared with implicit $2 cardinal successful outflows successful the US assemblage implicit the aforesaid period. Many reason Chinese investors person less home alternatives, which is wherefore golden priced successful renminbi has been steadily rising. The archetypal 4th of 2026 closed with golden up 7% successful some dollars and renminbi, contempt a crisp March correction. Notably, Chinese carnal golden imports reached 77 tons successful January and 96 tons successful February.

The sneakers that are flying

• Allbirds made Nasdaq past yesterday. The company’s valuation—once connected the verge of bankruptcy—more than quadrupled successful a fewer hours aft announcing a pivot into gathering AI computing infrastructure. Allbirds went nationalist successful 2021 astatine a valuation of $2.15 billion, aboriginal peaking astatine $4.1 cardinal earlier collapsing owed to costly enlargement into apparel and retail stores. Last period it sold its marque and assets for conscionable $39 million. What remained was a listed ammunition company, which secured a $50 cardinal financing installation from an organization capitalist to alteration into a GPU-as-a-Service and AI-native unreality supplier nether the caller sanction “NewBird AI.” It is precise overmuch the manner of the times. In 2017, Long Island Iced Tea renamed itself Long Blockchain and its banal surged 275% earlier being delisted a twelvemonth aboriginal erstwhile the crypto bubble burst. Allbirds reported Q3 2025 gross down 23.3% to $33 million, with a nett nonaccomplishment of $20.3 cardinal and a 61.6% borderline loss. Still, simply mentioning “AI” was capable to nonstop it up 300% earlier shareholders adjacent approved the modulation astatine an bonzer gathering connected May 18, 2026.