2024-04-30 22:24:41
The CEO of Epirus Cooperative Bank, Ioannis Vougioukas, was present at the 9th Delphi Economic Forum on Friday, April 12, participating in the panel on “Cultivating a THRIVING SME Ecosystem for a Stronger Economy”.
He was joined by the Director of Corporate Banking of Attica Bank Costas Christodoulou, the vice president of EBEA Dimitris Dimitriou and the managing partner of OCTANE Management Consultants Yiannis Spyropoulos, while the coordination was carried out by the journalist Natasa Stassinou.
The managing director of the Cooperative Bank of Epirus stated that in essence there is not only a financing deficit, but an overall banking service deficit. Banks are investing in their digital transformation and, while they appear functionally complete, there is a deterioration in customer service. In addition, in SMEs the role of Banks must also be advisory, something absolutely necessary for these businesses that do not have the structures and staffing of a large company. The Bank of Epirus in this direction focuses on the human-technology dichotomy, building personal relationships of trust and providing advisory banking, alongside all digital conveniences.
On the other hand, Greek SMEs present a competitiveness deficit compared to their European counterparts, which is also reflected in the competitiveness deficit of the Greek economy. For the majority of Greek SMEs, this deficit appears mainly in sectors with low knowledge and technology intensity, combined with their very small size. It is imperative to modernize them but also to provide, among other things, greater incentives for mergers. The expected increase in competition with the entry of new players into the banking system will work positively in favor of SMEs. At the same time, more low-interest loans should be channeled to SMEs through RF, EAT and Invest EU.