How the “unknown soldier” ended up with Dendias, the ambassador shuffle, Watsa, Karavias and Grivalia’s losses, and OPAP’s mega deal

– Hello there, yesterday was an important time — immoderate 1 believes, astatine slightest the civilized Western satellite rejoices implicit the intermission of a brutal warfare that claimed guiltless lives, civilians, women, and children. Now, the nonrecreational “Free Palestine” activists whitethorn find themselves retired of enactment some overseas and present successful Greece — but I’m definite our section ones volition rapidly find a caller cause… possibly a passionate, single-issue crusade astir Tempi.
On a much superior note, portion Israelis celebrate, truthful bash Palestinians — the images from Gaza and elsewhere talk for themselves.

How Dendias Got It

Back to home matters — immoderate caller backstage quality astir however it was yet decided that the “care” of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier would spell to Dendias, alternatively than Parliament oregon the Ministry of Culture, since formally immoderate of the 3 could person taken it.
At first, it was suggested (in the Maximos Mansion) that Parliament should instrumentality implicit — but past they thought MPs and immoderate parties (especially the conspiracy-prone ones) would marque Nikitas Kaklamanis’ beingness miserable.
Then they considered Mendoni, who’s pugnacious arsenic nails, but idiosyncratic said, “There’ll ever beryllium an excuse that each lawsuit determination is for ‘cultural reasons’ etc.”
In the end, K.M. himself said, “We’ll springiness it to Dendias.” He picked up the telephone and told him directly. I’d adhd that helium besides “passed the buck” to him — though I uncertainty the curate minded much.

Delays Because of OLAF

Bad quality for farmers and livestock breeders: yesterday’s OLAF raid connected OPEKEPE brings delays of a fewer days successful payments.
The information that OLAF itself showed up astatine the bureau says a batch astir the atrocious temper successful Brussels and the level of distrust.
On the different hand, the authorities needs to wage radical yesterday.
The contented is present successful the hands of the accustomed suspect, Hatzidakis, who has already briefed K.M. astir the tremendous difficulties — and the hazard that the Commission mightiness chopped subsidies if the authorities doesn’t bash what Brussels demands.
Still, I don’t deliberation the ND MPs rather grasp each this — they’re acceptable to rumble, belts loosened…

“Charged” Meeting Between Tsiaras and ND MPs

At noon connected Wednesday, Minister of Rural Development Tsiaras volition look ND MPs from farming regions, demanding to cognize erstwhile payments to the cultivation satellite volition statesman (some are expected to commencement this week).
Any MP, from immoderate constituency, tin be — though, frankly, they each perceive the aforesaid complaints from their voters.
The ambiance is thing but pleasant: MPs are nether aggravated pressure, arsenic farmers inactive person nary thought erstwhile they’ll see the colour of money.
Meanwhile, the authorities is being squeezed by the Europeans, who garbage to merchandise funds without due guarantees.

Ambassador Shuffle successful the Diplomatic Office

A caller look is joining the Prime Minister’s Diplomatic Office: Professor of International Relations Sotiris Serbos, who ran for MEP with ND past twelvemonth and erstwhile served arsenic overseas argumentation advisor to “Leader Nikos” earlier they fell retired implicit Ukraine.
Serbos volition beryllium nether Miltos Nikolaidis, the existent diplomatic advisor, who, I hear, is “warming up” for the station of Greek Ambassador successful Paris.
That presumption volition soon beryllium vacant since Antonis Alexandridis, the existent ambassador, is moving to Washington, replacing Katerina Nasika, who retires astatine the extremity of the year.
If Nikolaidis so moves to Paris, a caller diplomatic advisor volition person to beryllium found.

Restart, Thanks to Piraeus Bank

With Eurobank’s acquisition of Eurolife (excluding the wide security branch), the column’s curiosity was solved astir wherefore the Fairfax team was seen astatine One & Only successful precocious September–early October.
The deal, managed by F. Karavias and A. Sarrigeorgiou, has absorbing aspects hinting astatine what’s to come.
Karavias had wanted it for a agelong clip — for years, they accidental — but since determination were ties betwixt the security steadfast and the bank, it was tricky.
Word is that talks started moving guardant close aft Piraeus Bank acquired Ethniki Insurance.

Watsa Made a Cool $1 Billion

The large victor from the woody is Prem Watsa, who, with a tiny concern — made backmost successful the superior power era, erstwhile nary capitalist dared travel adjacent Greece, not adjacent for tourism — pocketed $1 billion.
Eurolife was yielding him €50–70 cardinal annually successful dividends, and present helium gets the €813 cardinal terms tag for 80% of it.
Bottom line: Fairfax clears $1 cardinal successful profit.

Fairfax “Dresses Up” Eurobank

For Eurobank, beyond the evident (new gross streams, etc.), the slope present gains a operation with networks, security services, and beingness successful aggregate countries — precisely what European banks are aft for cross-selling strategies.
In plain English, Fairfax is dressing up Eurobank for sale.
People adjacent to Watsa accidental his Eurobank stake is paying disconnected and he’s successful nary unreserved to merchantability — but, arsenic the Eurolife lawsuit shows, Watsa sells gladly erstwhile helium feels the terms is right.
Despite assurances of “no volition to sell,” the world is that Eurobank with an security limb becomes adjacent much charismatic to a imaginable investor.
The close terms volition travel on — sooner oregon later.

Grivalia Hotels’ Headache (€55 Million successful Losses)

Karavias and Sarrigeorgiou besides travel retired winners from the woody — the erstwhile strengthens his slope (he’s the undisputed brag successful the Watsa era), and the latter, arsenic Fairfax’s enforcement president successful the wide security sector, remains the group’s cardinal antheral successful Greece.
Still, not everything is rosy for Eurobank.
On Eurolife’s wellness and beingness equilibrium expanse sits 47% of Grivalia Hospitality, which isn’t doing well.
Last twelvemonth it posted €55 cardinal successful pre-tax losses, and sources — yet to beryllium confirmed — accidental it’s headed for losses again this year.

The Two Fixed References successful OPAP’s Mega Deal

The Allwyn–OPAP deal, aiming to make a caller radical with an estimated worth of €16 billion — the second-largest publically listed lottery and gaming institution successful the world — revolves astir 2 fixed points: first, the Athens Stock Exchange, wherever the caller entity’s shares volition proceed to trade, and second, Allwyn’s architect, Karel Komárek. The radical already operates successful over 15 markets crossed Europe and the U.S., with further enlargement plans successful the works.
The quality of the merger, which broke yesterday morning, caught the marketplace by surprise, and it rapidly became wide from the archetypal announcements that OPAP and Allwyn unneurotic are eyeing a overmuch larger portion of the planetary gaming market. The caller operation volition diagnostic combined operations of importantly greater scale successful presumption of revenue, profits, growth, and capitalization. In practice, the merged institution volition beryllium 1 of the heavyweights of the Athens Exchange, expected — nether existent conditions — to go the second-largest listed steadfast by marketplace capitalization. As for OPAP shareholders, successful presumption of payout policy, they volition beryllium entitled to a €0.50 interim dividend per share (this coming November), portion the new merged company volition besides wage an additional €0.80 per share for the 2025 fiscal twelvemonth close aft the completion of the transaction.
Meanwhile, absorption intends to support a minimum yearly dividend of €1 per share from the 2026 fiscal twelvemonth onward, on with a dividend reinvestment enactment (scrip option).

The Management’s Message

Immediately pursuing the deal’s announcement, OPAP executives briefed employees, who expressed restitution with the caller prospects ahead, portion agents besides responded positively.
For them successful particular, important benefits are expected from Allwyn’s planned investments arsenic portion of the upcoming rebranding (starting January 2026), aimed astatine modernizing and digitizing the retail network. Later yesterday, analysts joined a conference call with elder executives from OPAP and Allwyn, who provided further details from the group’s office connected Athens Avenue.
Among the cardinal takeaways was that the merged institution volition beryllium successful a beardown presumption to prehend caller maturation opportunities, including imaginable acquisitions and introduction into caller markets. Another connection sent large and clear: for Allwyn, Greece is acceptable to beryllium a cardinal hub of its business and integer operations, done large investments and its beingness successful OPAP, Stoiximan, Kaizen Gaming, and Allwyn Lottery Solutions.

Meeting astatine Maximos connected Greece’s Stance Toward the Net Zero Framework

Trump’s warning that the U.S. volition enforce sanctions connected countries voting successful favour of the IMO’s caller afloat decarbonization measures for shipping has acceptable disconnected alarms.
Tomorrow astatine the Maximos Mansion, the Prime Minister has called a gathering with Shipping and Island Policy Minister Vassilis Kikilias and Coast Guard Chief Vice Admiral Tryfon Kontizas to determine Greece’s stance.

At the aforesaid time, First Deputy Coast Guard Commander Christos Kontorouhas, a seasoned IMO expert, departs for London — IMO’s office — wherever the Special Session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee begins time to sermon and ballot connected the Net Zero Framework.
Sources suggest the ballot mightiness beryllium postponed. The contented is that no 1 yet knows however IMO volition negociate the immense sums from the CO₂ tax connected ships, particularly since no viable “green” fuels are available.
Postponement is besides the Greek shipowners’ proposal, with George Prokopiou precocious declaring from Cyprus to IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Rodríguez:

“We request to pause. We don’t person to hold for Trump to amusement america the mode — we should illustration it ourselves, due to the fact that we cognize our business.”

“Green Light” for the Trachones Complex

Another residential complex is moving up wrong the “Little Athens” neighborhood of the Ellinikon redevelopment project by LAMDA Development. The Environment Ministry has fixed the green light, approving biology presumption for a new seven-building complex, immoderate with ground-floor retail to service residents successful the alleged “Trachones Neighborhood,” named aft the adjacent stream. The task includes excavation and ungraded restoration permits for 7 caller buildings — 1 single-story commercialized gathering and six five-story residential ones, 2 featuring shops and restaurants connected the crushed and archetypal floors — positive an underground parking level, a h2o feature, eight swimming pools, fourteen blistery tubs, and landscaped surroundings.

Prices successful “Little Athens,” which includes conscionable implicit 1,100 lodging units with stores, alteration by complex, starting astir €7,500/m² and reaching up to €11,000/m² for the Park Rise complex, designed by Danish architectural steadfast BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group).

LAMDA Marinas successful Venice

Speaking of LAMDA, its subsidiary LAMDA Marinas volition enactment successful the ICOMIA World Marinas Conference 2025 successful Venice (Oct. 15–17) arsenic Official Partner and Gala Dinner Sponsor — the apical planetary lawsuit for the marina industry. The institution volition showcase the Agios Kosmas Marina (part of the Ellinikon project), the green initiatives astatine Flisvos Marina, and its imaginativeness for the new Mega Yacht Marina of Corfu.
CEO Stavros Katsikadis volition contiguous successful 2 panels:

1. New Energy Sources for the Green Transition and Vessel Propulsion, explaining however marinas tin hole for the aboriginal — highlighting Flisvos Marina’s sustainable upgrades.
2. State-of-the-Art Marinas, wherever he’ll contiguous the caller Agios Kosmas Marina, a landmark portion of the Ellinikon redevelopment — Europe’s largest municipality regeneration project.

Thenamaris of Nikolaos Martinos Achieves a Global First with Venezuela

The Aframax tanker “Sealeo” (108,000 DWT), owned by Thenamaris of Nikolaos Martinos, became the first vas to transport crude lipid from Venezuela to the U.S. East Coast aft a six-month hiatus.
It discharged Boscan crude astatine PBF’s Paulsboro terminal successful New Jersey, nether the resumption of Chevron’s shipments from Venezuela, pursuing a caller U.S. license.
The “Sealeo,” rechartered by Chevron, has since departed for Punta Guaranao, Venezuela.

Back from the Dead…

Yesterday the file mentioned a institution that was founded and dissolved connected the aforesaid day — Friday, October 10 — aft lone a fewer hours. We wondered if the sole shareholder had 2nd thoughts.
Well, there’s an update: connected Monday, October 13, the aforesaid firm, Meli Cordeli S.A., was re-established. Headquartered connected Ermou Street, its intent is real property acquisition and management, with an initial stock superior of €2,510,000.
But here’s the twist: alternatively of 2,510,000 shares of €1 each (as before), it present has 25,100 shares of €100 each. This time, superior came not solely from the erstwhile sole shareholder, but divided arsenic follows: G.P. contributed €753,000 (7,530 shares – 30%) Another company, controlled and represented by him, contributed €1,757,000 (17,570 shares – 70%) So Meli Cordeli S.A. is backmost successful concern — not arsenic a single-member S.A., but arsenic a regular S.A. As the saying goes, “same John, antithetic Johnny.”
Still, for each this fuss — formation, dissolution, and reformation — the alteration intelligibly means something.

Major Announcements Today from IDEAL

IDEAL Holdings has invited the property to a business luncheon today, and surprises are expected.
Reliable sources accidental that arsenic year-end approaches, revenue is projected to deed €500 million, with operating profits of astir €57–58 million. This means investors tin look guardant to a pre-dividend of €0.10–0.15 per stock soon, with the anticipation of doubling aft the fiscal year’s close.

Bought Out the Buyer

The French institution EXOSENS, a person successful electro-optical systems (light amplification, detection, and imaging), had agelong approached Theon Intl PLC of Kryss Chatziminas seeking to get it. Instead, Theon, aft listing connected the Amsterdam Euronext, quadrupled its value to a €2.4 cardinal marketplace cap — and flipped the script. It has present reached a definitive statement with HLD Europe SCA, Invest Prince Henri SCA, and Invest Gamma Sarl (part of Groupe HLD) to acquire a 9.8% involvement successful Exosens SA for €268.7 million, oregon €54 per share.

Size Does Matter After All

In little than a week, banal marketplace quality has revealed a hidden truth:
Ahead of the Greek Capital Market’s upgrade to “developed” status and its integration into the Euronext Group, listed companies request to standard up. OPAP merges with Allwyn creating a €16 cardinal giant, Eurobank buys Eurolife for €813 million,
and Intralot absorbs Bally’s Interactive successful a €2.7 cardinal deal. Only by scaling up volition Greek companies look connected major organization investors’ radars. Alpha Bank–Unicredit and Piraeus–Ethniki Insurance showed the mode — and more specified moves are definite to follow.

GEK TERNA and Bank of Cyprus Just a Breath Away from New Records

Defying the selling inclination yesterday, GEK TERNA and Bank of Cyprus moved upward, nearing caller peaks. GEK returned supra the €23 mark, closing astatine €23.36, conscionable shy of its year-high of €23.4. Intraday it deed €23.6, a terms unseen for 25 years — since January 7, 2000, erstwhile it closed astatine €23.99.
The banal has gained 5.7% successful 5 days, up 26.4% year-to-date, valuing the radical astatine €2.4 billion. Bank of Cyprus climbed backmost supra €8, closing astatine €8.12, matching its regular precocious and nearing its record adjacent of €8.18 (Sept. 29) and intraday grounds of €8.20 (Sept. 30). It’s connected a three-day winning streak, up 3.8% cumulatively, and 76.5% successful 2025. The bank’s market headdress exceeds €3.5 billion, approaching Jumbo’s €3.8 billion, which would enactment it successful the Athens Exchange Top 10 by capitalization.

Big Ships…

In the end, Greek shipowners travel retired connected top. Starting today, Trump’s decision takes effect — imposing higher larboard fees connected each ships built successful oregon owned by China. The U.S. present charges $50 per nett ton connected Chinese ships, rising to $140 by 2028. Naturally, China struck back, imposing 400 yuan ($56) per ton, scaling up to $157 connected U.S.-owned ships. Truth is, determination aren’t galore made-in-USA ships — but determination are plentifulness with American ownership, particularly among Wall Street-listed shipping companies. China controls 53.3% of planetary shipbuilding, the U.S. conscionable 0.1%. Major shipping groups are successful panic: galore utilized Chinese leasing structures to concern fleets — present discovering this whitethorn marque them “Chinese” successful the USTR’s eyes. Companies similar Seaspan person already moved office from Hong Kong to Singapore, portion others change flags and renegotiate loans. The extra fees volition outgo the 10 largest shipping groups $3.2 cardinal successful 2026 — costs that will, of course, beryllium passed connected to consumers. For now, the nimble Greek shipowners — whose fleets were built extracurricular China — are the wide winners.