Eurobank into the wolf's mouth... Opens office in Abu Dhabi while Iran threatens the UAE - Multi-billion investments in a war zone!

The opening of a Eurobank representative office in Abu Dhabi in early 2027, along with the bank's goal to act as the "bridge" between Europe and investors in the United Arab Emirates, was announced yesterday at the international investment forum Investopia Mediterranean by Eurobank CEO Mr. F. Karavias. The bank is already actively participating in international financing, syndicated loans, and complex transactions with companies from the Emirates, and, according to information, has already hired an executive with long-standing experience in the region's countries as head of the representative office. However, Eurobank's expansion did not happen overnight: Over the past 3 years, successive visits by its executives to the UAE and presentations to local investors took place, and following the cultivation of mutual trust, the financing of acquisitions of Greek companies ensued. Today, one of the primary goals is seeking investors and capital for projects in Greece.

Specifically, conversing with Financial Times journalist Ms. E. Varvitsioti, Mr. Karavias pointed out three objectives in cooperation with the UAE: First, meeting with as many businesses from the Emirates as possible; second, the bank's identification of potential corporate acquisitions in Greece and Europe; and third, helping Greek businesses operate as a "bridge" for the UAE's entry into Europe. And for this reason, as he added, Greece possesses sectors for investments in energy, infrastructure, and data centers, while Cyprus possesses a long tradition in welcoming investors. Despite the turmoil caused by the war in the Middle East and the shift of priorities in the Emirates (security), the core goals remain: namely, creating competitive corridors between Europe and the Middle East. And the diversified economy of the Emirates can achieve this.

Referring to the importance of investments in the Greek economy, Eurobank's CEO emphasized that Emirati investments in Greece have already exceeded 4 billion euros in Renewable Sources, infrastructure, and healthcare. These include Masdar's acquisition of Terna Energy, worth 2.3 billion euros, and the 800-million-euro acquisition of Hellenic Healthcare by Pure Health. Masdar's subsidiary in Greece constitutes the energy platform for investments in Southeastern and Central Europe, and for this reason $5 billion is available. Eurobank participated in the acquisition of TERNA and remains the local bank for HHC in Greece, while the new owner maintains an investment plan for campuses in Athens and Nicosia. Referring to Eurobank's activity, he recalled that the bank has already expanded into the fastest-growing economy (India) with a representative office, in a country close to the UAE, while its presence in Cyprus and Greece can contribute to the expansion of companies from India and the Emirates into Europe and the identification of cross-border cooperation opportunities.

Larger scale of investments and ready-made projects represent the country's deficit

To the question of whether Greece is ready to welcome investments, First Abu Dhabi Bank's head of investment banking and markets, Mr. Linos Lekkas, answered that, first, projects must be bankable—meaning they generate revenues—and, second, possess an adequate scale. For his part, Eurobank Deputy CEO Mr. K. Vassiliou pointed out that Greece suffers from no deficit as an investment destination, nor is financing lacking. Indicatively, as he added, during 2026 foreign direct investments exceeded 7.5 billion euros, while net credit expansion reached 8 billion euros. What the country lacks are ready-made projects, a larger scale of works, as well as specialized personnel (e.g., engineers). On the sidelines of the conference proceedings, Eurobank CEO Mr. Phok. Karavias and Deputy CEO and Head of Corporate & Investment Banking Mr. Kon. Vassiliou had a private meeting with His Excellency, the UAE Deputy Minister of Investment and Chairman of Investopia, Mr. Mohammad Alhawi. The meeting explored possibilities for further strengthening investment and financial cooperation between the UAE and Greece, as well as deepening relations between the investment and business communities of both countries.

Dimitris Pafilas
dpafilas@yahoo.com
www.bankingnews.gr