The banking industry of Greece, along with the population, was put through its paces during the past decade, as financial troubles snowballed into a national crisis. One of Greece’s long-established traditional banks, National Bank of Greece, withstood the turmoil to emerge today as its country’s pioneer in digital innovation, leading its millions of customers into a future filled with hope for greater choice, efficiency and satisfaction in their banking experiences.
The current decade has not been kind to Greece’s financial sector, which has been beset by one crisis after another. And yet, from the rubble, a fully digital bank has arisen, the first in the country. In our interview, Praxia bank’s CEO Anastasia Sakellariou describes what it is like to create a bank with a vision to meet its customers’ needs solely through digital channels while remaining completely human.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites are chosen then preserved for their significance to humanity and include the planet’s most astonishing natural and man-made landmarks. Visiting them is rewarding, but adding luxury accommodations that are experiences in themselves makes the adventure that much more gratifying. In our travel feature, we take you to four must-see heritage sites from one end of the globe to the other and into the opulent accommodations that best complement them.
The digitalization of banking has challenged individual banks to unleash their creativity in meeting the needs and wants of their customers, who are growing increasingly tech-savvy. National Bank of Greece, the country’s oldest traditional bank, has taken a no-holds-barred approach to innovation in pursuit of growth. From its i-bank Pay to i-bank genius, NBG is a living example of just how far a motivated bank can go in its digital transformation.
For a memorable Grecian getaway, why not go off the beaten track? Skip the crowded vacation spots, the overrated resorts, and visit the small, sleepy, coastal towns on the island of Corfu.
Despite its woes, Greece’s stock markets are on a winning streak, responding positively to a deal between Greek officials and EU creditors on the reforms needed to satisfy the conditions of the country’s bailout program. Although things are looking up, they may not be as rosy as investors believe as complications abound, and caution is in the end the best approach to take.
Following a period of political turmoil and uncertainty in the UK, the new prime minister, Theresa May, has taken a stand on her views for business reform. She has vowed to enforce worker representatives on boards as part of her vision of “putting people back in control”.
It seems increasingly likely that the darkest days for Greece’s banks are now behind them. The European Central Bank (ECB) announced on June 22 that it will reinstate their access to its cheap funding operations as a reward for the damaging but necessary economic reforms that have been undertaken by the government.
The Greek economy in the first decade of the 2000s, driven by extremely positive expectations, mainly due to the Greek entry into the EMU (Economic and Monetary Union) and easy credit conditions, expanded rapidly at rates well above its medium-