Greek banks that survived the crisis are improving all aspects of their operations, from governance and lending policies to efficiency and balance sheet management, says Alpha Bank CEO Vassilis Psaltis in an interview with Forbes Greece. .

“We have banks that are fundamentally sound, and create value, with the right incentives aligned. At the same time, the differentiation of the strategy and position of the four systemic groups is in full swing, which promotes competition and innovation, providing the necessary scale to achieve progress. Look, for example, at loans to businesses: there the competition, as expressed through spreads, is clearly above the European average”he adds in an interview that with reference to all the issues and challenges of the domestic and European banking sector and our economy.

In response to a question about review accepted by banks by almost 20 years in Greece, Mr. Psaltis points out, among other things, that “it is not only a Greek peculiarity. In many European countries, banks are consistently presented in the public sphere as the ultimate culprits for every financial crisis, which ranks them at low levels of acceptance based on poll findings.

Among other things, he emphasized social contribution of banks. “We have demonstrated in practice our willingness to return a social dividend to our customers. With initiatives such as the “freezing” of floating interest rates for consistent borrowers, households benefited with financial relief of at least €300 million. At the same time, we consistently help in the upgrading of educational and nursing infrastructures, but also in the prevention and treatment of natural disasters, as was shown by our support in Thessaly, where 50 million euros were allocated for the restoration of damages. And, of course, other important initiatives are planned for the future.”

Mr. Psalter at this point states among other things: “Looking ahead, I am convinced that we banks must seek a new social agreement. On the one hand, it is our obligation to continue to improve our services to meet the growing demands of our customers. On the other hand, we must be bolder in supporting innovative products and investment projects – we are now far enough from the crisis to still be possessed by phobic syndromes. In addition, to continue to “give back” to society through our very important corporate responsibility programs. Mainly, however, we will aim for progress, contributing with all our strength to the evolution of our country’s development model, in order to steadily converge with Europe, covering the investment gap bequeathed to us by the crisis and actively managing any risks that may threaten our progress”.

Referring extensively to the positive results of Alpha Bank’s collaboration with UniCredit, he emphasizes that it constitutes the first strategic investment in the Greek banking sector after seventeen years and exceeds three main pillars that had been announced. “In corporate banking, we connect Greek businesses with the core of Europe, as, in practice, we offer our customers the possibility to carry out their transactions in 13 European countries, through a single relationship with Alpha Bank. You realize the savings in resources and time that this entails”states among other things.