Mr. Zavvos, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB), in his welcoming speech mentioned that developments such as wars and crises, are a strong test of the ability of the European Union (EU) to effectively transform its European Integration model around energy, trade, defense and financing of the economy. In addition, Mr. Zavvos also demonstrated the need for the acceleration of the establishment of the Banking Union and the European Capital Markets Union. Regarding the Greek financial system, Mr. Zavvos indicated that it should meet three main future objectives, including the maintenance of its resilience, the support of the green transition and the support of the Greek Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Moreover, speaking about the vital role of the Development Banks, especially during crises, he discussed the support of the HDB to the Greek SMEs and mentioned that the HDB aims to broaden the criteria for the financing of the SMEs, in terms of co-financing and guarantees provision. Finally, Mr. Zavvos highlighted the importance of the green transition by comparing it to the Industrial Revolution.
Mr. Athanasopoulos, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hellenic Loan Servicers Association and CEO of Cepal, in his welcoming speech described the role of the loan servicers in the financial system. Mr. Athanasopoulos mentioned that loan servicers are asset managers which operate on behalf of banks and investors, and their main task is to assist SMEs, households and the economy with their restructuring strategies and to bring assets for the cases that restructuring fails through liquidations back to the economy. Finally, he discussed the prospects and challenges of the industry, as well as the need for all the involved parties to be literate and well-trained.