Greek PM visits HQ of fintech provider days after landmark deal with JP Morgan

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday on paid a visit to the headquarters of Athens-based fintech service provider Viva Wallet, days after banking giant JP Morgan announced that it was purchasing 48.5 percent of the latter in a landmark – by Greek standards – deal.

Mitsotakis heaped praise on management and staff-members, adding that “…I consider this investment a very significant vote of confidence in the company, but also in the country’s prospects. I’m particularly pleased that innovative Greek companies can distinguish themselves…Greece isn’t a country that merely supports itself through tourism and its beautiful beaches, but it also has human resources in the tech sector, which leave us optimistic that technology will comprise an ever-increasing part of the country’s GDP,” the pro-business Greek premier said.

He also cited the exploitation of new legislation, passed by his government after July 2019, envisioning the disbursement of stock options to a company’s staff-members, noting that such surplus value can now be distributed to employees.

“For me this is the new model for business management. This type of participatory capitalism involving start-ups is the model for the future; one linking a company’s success with an employee’s prosperity.”

Viva Wallet CEO and co-founder Haris Karonis added that the specific investment/buyout was combined with a scheme for the maturation of the share option plan, while praising the legislative reform as generating a very good result.

Mitsotakis’ tour of the company also came a week after he received visiting JPMorgan & Chase chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon at his Maximos Mansion office.