First meeting between new finance ministry leadership, Greek bank reps

Combating tax evasion and cooperation between the government and systemic banks in the country dominated a two-hour on Monday between the new finance ministry leadership and representatives of the Hellenic Bank Association.

According to reports, closer cooperation to promote and expand the use of POS terminals was discussed, as well as the looming de-investment of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF) from the share capital of the four Greek systemic banks.

At the same time, the re-elected Mitsotakis government has reportedly again tabled the issue of the eyebrow-raising gap between interest paid by banks on deposits and their borrowing rates.

The same reports hold that the banking sector’s representatives promises to unveil a promotional campaign presenting other bank products with higher yields, compared to savings accounts.

According to recent Bank of Greece (BoG) figures, most depositors in the country continue to shy away from other bank products and prefer savings accounts.