Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met today with the President and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon.
The meeting was held two days after JPMorgan, one of the largest financial institutions in the world, announced its investment for the acquisition of approximately 49% of the online bank Viva Wallet.
During their meeting, Jamie Dimon informed the Prime Minister that JPMorgan is willing to expand its office in Greece, further invest in Viva Wallet and attract high-level professionals in Greece.
As you know, we have plans to expand over time, so this might be a technology hub for JP Morgan Chase around the world, said the head of the banking giant at the beginning of the conversation.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed JPMorgan’s decision is “a vote of confidence in the country and in the economy, while at the same time it “reaffirms the new startup culture that has emerged in Greece.
“I think Viva is a great sign of the engineering talent you have in this country,” said Mr Dimon, adding that “it’s a great way to grow”. “I’m thrilled with the progress you have made in Greece and we’re thrilled to buy 49% of Viva,” he added.
The meeting was also attended by Alexis Patelis, Chief economic adviser to the Prime Minister, Stelios Papadopoulos, Managing Director at JP Morgan Greece and Takis Georgakopoulos, Global Head of Wholesale Payments.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: It’s so good to have you in Greece and I’d like to thank you for your vote of confidence in the country and in the economy. I think it’s very important that you proceeded with an important investment in a Greek Fintech company at a very, very high valuation. I think this validates the new startup culture that has emerged in Greece.
I also want to stress something which I consider to be of particular importance, that the stock option legislation was put in place by our government, so there is significant upside for all the employees of the company.
But I understand you are also strengthening your overall presence in Greece, in terms of providing more financing to Greek companies and also looking at the country for possible investments regarding R&D.
What I can tell you is that the country has turned a page and that Greece of 2022 has very little resemblance with Greece of the years of the economic crisis. We expect growth in 2021, I think, it is going to be way above what we had already projected in the budget, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a positive growth surprise in 2022.
But beyond that, I think we’ve laid the foundations for a long-term sustainable growth. And we want you to be part of the story, not simply because of your Greek origin, but because you truly see that this is a land of opportunity. So thank you. Thank you for being here.
Jamie Dimon: I’m thrilled to be here. And you know, we first met in 2019 and we had planned a trip which unfortunately got cancelled because of this terrible COVID disease. But I’m thrilled with the progress you have all made in Greece and we’re thrilled to buy 49% of Viva.
I think Viva is a great sign of the engineering talent you have in this country and it’s a great way to grow. As you know, we have plans to expand over time. So this might be a hub of technology for JP Morgan Chase around the world, and I’m so happy for Greece, for my Greek heritage.
I’m very proud to be Greek and I am always thinking to myself, if my grandparents were here, three of whom immigrated from this country during some difficult times, they would be shocked today for two things: One is that I am with the Prime Minister and the second is that I am the chairman, CEO of JPMorgan Chase. And so this makes me proud for many different reasons. So thank you.
