Money Buzz! Europa

Category: Athens

  • Ookla: Cosmote is the fastest mobile network in Greece

    Ookla: Cosmote is the fastest mobile network in Greece

    For the fourth consecutive year, Cosmote won the Speedtest Awards of the independent network metrics company, Ookla.

    Cosmote is “the fastest mobile network in Greece” achieving a Speed ScoreTM of 44.38, over 40% higher than the second-ranked provider (2nd: 30.93; 3rd: 25.63).

    The Greece’s Fastest Mobile Network 2020 award was based on some 400.000 tests taken by users of the mobile network in the first six months of the year.

    The tests were performed under real conditions throughout the country, on the networks of all the mobile telephony providers, through iOS and Android devices using the Speedtest app.

    Through over 10,000 servers worldwide, Ookla users carry out millions of tests every day, with over 30 billion tests carried out since 2006.

  • EIB backs 826 MW Mytilineos power plant in Greece

    EIB backs 826 MW Mytilineos power plant in Greece

    The European Investment Bank has agreed to support construction of a new power plant in Greece by Mytilineos S.A.

    The new 826 MW CCGT Agios Nikolaos power plant will allow greater use of renewable energy resources in the country and enable the phasing out of lignite power generation in Greece by 2023, as well as supply long-term energy demand.

    European financial backing

    The EIB will provide a EUR 125 million 8 year loan to finance construction and connection of the new EUR 322m plant at Agios Nikolaos Viotias in central Greece alongside an existing energy generation center and industrial site.

    The EIB loan is guaranteed by the European Union under the Investment Plan for Europe.

    Crucial investment in the context of lignite power plant closures and expansion of renewable energy in Greece

    Once operational the new 826 MW natural gas CCGT plant will contribute to ensuring sufficient generation capacity to support the shut down of all -except one- lignite power plants in Greece by 2023. Lignite currently accounts for 4 GW of power generation in Greece, 22% of total capacity in the country.

    The Agios Nikolaos plant will also provide flexibility to allow greater use of intermittent wind and solar power in the future and enable increased electricity network  interconnection between mainland Greece and the islands.

    The new plant will be the most efficient gas power plant in Greece and use state of the art CCGT technology. The new investment by Mytilineos S.A. will also help to diversify power generation in Greece and increase competition in the energy sector.

  • TileDB closes $15M Series A for industry’s first universal data engine

    TileDB closes $15M Series A for industry’s first universal data engine

    TileDB has secured a $15M Series A investment round led by Two Bear Capital, joined by Uncorrelated Ventures and all existing investors: Nexus Venture Partners, Intel Capital, and Big Pi Ventures.

    The funding will help the company expand go-to-market and product development for its “universal data engine,” a novel database that goes beyond tables to manage any complex data and beyond SQL to analyze the data with any tool, all serverless and at planet scale.

    Montana philanthropist and Two Bear Capital Managing Partner Mike Goguen will join TileDB’s Board of Directors.

    The Series A financing comes after TileDB was chosen by customers who experienced two key pains: scalability for complex data and deployment.

    Whole-genome population data, single-cell gene data, spatio-temporal satellite imagery, and asset-trading data all share multi-dimensional structures that are poorly handled by monolithic databases, tables, and legacy file formats.

    Newer computational frameworks evolved to offer “pluggable storage” but that forces another part of the stack to deal with data management.

    As a result, organizations waste resources on managing a sea of files and optimizing storage performance, tasks traditionally done by the database. Moreover, developers and data scientists are spending excessive time in data engineering and deployment, instead of actual analysis and collaboration.

  • Cosomote Missing Alert App is free for download in Google Play

    Cosomote Missing Alert App is free for download in Google Play

    The Missing Alert App, a new mobile app that helps locate missing people faster in Greece, is available for free download.

    The app, designed and developed by Cosmote for The Smile of the Child organisation, gives all citizens the chance to contribute in the search to locate fellow citizens in real time, but also protect their loved ones.

    Users may download the mobile app -initially at Google Play store- and:

    • Receive information in real time about children and adults currently missing, while finding out how the search is going.
    • Assist in the efforts of The Smile of the Child by providing information on a case at any time, wherever they are, via chat or phone.
    • Carry out a missing person case search based on different criteria (e.g. date of missing case, distance from their location).
    • Share missing person cases on their personal social media accounts, therefore, mobilising other volunteers.
    • Protect people close to them who belong to vulnerable groups and run a high risk of disappearing (e.g. due to dementia, intellectual disability), by proactively declaring their personal details through the app, so that the missing persons’ alert and search operation are expedited if the need arises.

    The app is being exclusively managed by a special team of The Smile of the Child, which channels all user information to the Hellenic Police, as well as other institutional bodies responsible for managing missing people cases in Greece.

  • Less cars were put into circulation in Greece in June 2020

    Less cars were put into circulation in Greece in June 2020

    The Hellenic Statistical Authority announces that in June 2020, 16.170 road motor cars (both new and used from abroad) were put into circulation for the first time.

    This was a 24.7% decrease compared with the corresponding month of 2019 when the number of road motor cars was 21.464.

    In June 2019, a 4.9% increase had been observed in comparison with the corresponding month of 2018. A total number of 8.678 new cars were put into circulation in June 2020 compared with 13.980 in June 2019, recording a 37.9% decrease.

    Less new motorcycles over 50cc in June 2020

    The new motorcycles over 50cc (both new and used from abroad) that were put into circulation for the first time in June 2020 amounted to 5.306, against 5.471 in 2019, thus recording a 3.0% decrease.

    In June 2019, a 3.2% increase had been observed in comparison with the corresponding month of 2018. Out of the above motorcycles 4,889 were new, while the corresponding figure in June 2019 was 5.041, recording a 3.0% decrease.

  • Greece: Passenger air traffic dropped by 93% in June 2020

    Greece: Passenger air traffic dropped by 93% in June 2020

    Latest Greek Civil Aviation Authority data show a 93 percent drop in total passenger traffic going through local airports in June 2020, compared to the previous year.

    Only 588.186 passengers on domestic and foreign flights arrived in Greek airports in June 2020, compared to 8.427.908 passengers in June 2019.

    There were 17.049 flights in May 2020, down 74% from the same month in 2019.

    The drop in passenger arrivals from abroad was even greater, falling 97,5%.

    In the first half of 2020, 6,2 million passengers travelled instead of 24.7 million passengers in the first half of 2019.

  • Eurobank to finance the Crete – Attica electrical interconnection project

    Eurobank to finance the Crete – Attica electrical interconnection project

    The common bond loan has a repayment period of ten (10) years with a possibility of partial withdrawals according to the implementation course of the interconnection.

    In addition to bank lending, the project will be implemented using equity of €200 million while the co-finance of Greece and the European Union will be used for the remaining €400 million.

    The Crete – Attica Interconnection is a landmark project in Greece. It is the largest energy project under construction and the second largest overall and it will contribute significantly in the process for economic recovery with a special positive sign for the economy of Crete.

    The project has a total budget of €1 billion.

  • Travelers to Greece must complete an electronic declaration

    Travelers to Greece must complete an electronic declaration

    From 1 July, all entrants to Greece, regardless of nationality, must complete, at least 48 hours before travel, an electronic declaration on the following website.

    The declaration contains information about the starting point of the traveler, previous trips and stays in other countries, as well as the address where will stay in Greece.

    After filling in the electronic declaration, a unique identification code (QR code) is automatically generated, which must be submitted, in electronic form or on paper, to the local authorities upon arrival in Greece. 

    Passengers without a QR code will not be allowed to enter Grecce.

    Based on the data from the declaration, it is possible that the passenger will be tested for coronavirus on arrival in Greece, and will need to isolate himself until the result.

  • SPAR Greece opens a new supermarket in Hersonissos, Crete

    SPAR Greece opens a new supermarket in Hersonissos, Crete

    SPAR Greece is continuing to increase its retail presence by partnering with independent retailers and opening more supermarkets under the SPAR Brand across the country.

    The latest store to open is in a touristic area of the island, Hersonissos, in Crete, creating four new jobs.

    The independent retailer behind this latest opening, Mr Christodoulakis, is an experienced business owner, who already operates three SPAR Supermarkets in the same area.

    The newest SPAR Supermarket is 400sqm in size and was converted from a retail tourist clothing store.

    The service departments located around the perimeter include a butchery, delicatessen section, cheese counter, and bake-off counter.

    Due to the current trading environment as a result of the pandemic, no formal launch has been held, but local customers have responded positively since the store opened on 25 June. 

  • Greece: Growth rate of total credit in domestic economy at 4.0%

    Greece: Growth rate of total credit in domestic economy at 4.0%

    Bank of Greece show that in May 2020, the annual growth rate of total credit extended to the domestic economy increased to 4.0% from 2.0% in the previous month.

    The monthly net flow was positive by €3,037 million, compared with a positive net flow of €2,512 million in the previous month.

    The annual growth rate of total deposits decreased to 6.1% from 6.8% in the previous month.

    The monthly net flow was negative by €200 million, compared with a negative net flow of €2,683 million in April 2020.

    Decrease of credit to individuals, increase of households deposits

    The monthly net flow of credit to individuals and private non-profit institutions was negative by €89 million, compared with a negative net flow of €241 million in the previous month.

    The annual growth rate stood at -2.8% from -3.0% in the previous month.

    In May, deposits placed by households and private non-profit institutions increased by €194 million, compared with an increase of €1,554 million in the previous month.

    The annual growth rate stood at 7.0% from 7.1% in the previous month.

  • Job vacancies in Greece recorded a decrease of 23.5% in Q1 2020

    Job vacancies in Greece recorded a decrease of 23.5% in Q1 2020

    The number of job vacancies in the 1st quarter 2020 recorded a decrease of 23.5% in comparison with the 1st quarter 2019 (9.617 and 12.570 correspondingly).

    The corresponding number of job vacancies in the 1st quarter 2019 had recorded a decrease of 12.4% in comparison with the 1st quarter 2018.

    Data gathered by The Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) is avaible for the whole economy excluding Primary Sector and Activities of Households, referring to the 1st quarter 2020.

  • Free Wi-Fi in museums and archaeological sites of Crete

    Free Wi-Fi in museums and archaeological sites of Crete

    Cosmote is providing free wireless internet (Wi-Fi) at four iconic archaeological sites and museums in Crete: The Knossos archaeological site, the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Spinalonga island in the Gulf of Elounda and the Museum and Archaeological Site of Ancient Eleuthena.

    Free internet will make it easier for visitors to Crete and to these archaeological sites and museums to access information on the history and civilization of the island, and it will enable cultural organizations to develop new, interactive guides and ways of presenting their exhibits.

    Wi-Fi access is already available at the National Archaeological Museum, the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Akrotiri in Santorini, Delphi, Delos, the Archaeological Museum and the palace of the Grand Master in the Medieval town of Rhodes.

    Infrastructure is currently being installed at the Acropolis of Athens and at Mycenae and Ancient Corinth in the Peloponnese.

    Cosmote has invested over €2 million in this project

    The company has undertaken the planning, design and installation of Wi-Fi infrastructure at points selected by the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the provision of the necessary equipment, the operation and maintenance of the networks, and free internet services.