View source for Bank of Greece

{{Short description|Central Bank of Greece}}
{{distinguish|National Bank of Greece}}
{{Infobox central bank
| name            = Bank of Greece
| native_name     = {{nobold|{{Lang|el|Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος}}}}
| logo            = Bank of Greece new logo.svg
| logo_size       = 
| image           = File:The building of the Bank of Greece on Panepistimiou Street in Athens.jpg
| caption         = Head office in Athens
| traded_as       =   {{Athex|ELL}}
| image_size      = 
| headquarters    = [[Athens]], [[Greece]]
| coordinates     = {{Coord|37.978611| 23.733333|display=inline, title|region:GR_type:landmark_source:enwiki}} 
| established     = {{Start date and age|1928|05|14|df=y}}
| ownership             = e-E.F.K.A. Electronic National Social Security Entity (12.44%)<br>[[Government of Greece|Hellenic Public Sector]] (8.93%)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.athexgroup.gr/company-profile/-/select-company/53 | title=Profile - athexgroup.gr }}</ref>
| reserves        = 1 500 million USD<ref name="dnbinfo">{{cite web |last1=Weidner |first1=Jan |title=The Organisation and Structure of Central Banks |url=https://d-nb.info/1138787981/34 |website=Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek|year=2017|format=PDF}}</ref>
| executive_title = Governor
| executive       = [[Yannis Stournaras]]
| bank_of         = Greece
<!--DO NOT add info on currency, rates, printer or mints, as these are controlled by ECB -->
| website         = {{official URL}}
| predecessor     = 
| successor       = [[European Central Bank]] (2001)<sup>1</sup>
| footnotes       = <sup>1</sup> The Bank of Greece still exists but many functions have been taken over by the ECB.
}}
{{Economy_of_Greece|260px}}

The '''Bank of Greece''' ({{langx|el|Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος}} {{Transliteration|el|''Trapeza tis Ellados''}}, {{small|abbr.}} {{Lang|el|ΤτΕ}}) is the [[National central bank (Eurosystem)|national central bank]] for [[Greece]] within the [[Eurosystem]]. It was the Greek [[central bank]] from 1927 to 2000, issuing the [[Modern drachma|drachma]]. Unlike most contemporary central banks, the Bank of Greece still has private shareholders and its stock is listed on the [[Athens Exchange]].<ref>{{Athex|TELL}}</ref>

Whereas it is governed under a national framework of accountability, the Bank of Greece increasingly implements policies set at the [[European Union]] level. In addition to its Eurosystem role, it is the national competent authority for Greece within [[European Banking Supervision]].<ref>{{cite web |accessdate={{date|2025-11-19}} |website=ECB Banking Supervision |url=https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/organisation/nationalsupervisors/html/index.en.html |title=National supervisors}}</ref> It is a voting member of the respective Boards of Supervisors of the [[European Banking Authority]] (EBA)<ref>{{cite web |website=European Banking Authority |url=https://www.eba.europa.eu/members-and-observers |accessdate={{date|2025-11-19}} |title=Members and Observers}}</ref> and [[European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority]] (EIOPA).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eiopa.europa.eu/about/governance-structure/board-supervisors_en |website=EIOPA |accessdate={{date|2025-11-19}} |title=Board of Supervisors}}</ref> It is Greece's designated [[National Resolution Authority]] and plenary session member of the [[Single Resolution Board]] (SRB).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.srb.europa.eu/en/national-resolution-authorities |website=Single Resolution Board |accessdate={{date|2025-11-19}} |title=National Resolution Authorities}}</ref> It provides the permanent single common representative for Greece in the Supervisory composition of the General Board of the [[Anti-Money Laundering Authority]] (AMLA).<ref>{{cite web |website=AMLA |url=https://www.amla.europa.eu/governance/general-board/general-board-supervisory-composition_en |date={{date|2025-11-13}} |title=General Board in Supervisory composition}}</ref>

==History==

The Bank of Greece was established by Law 3424/7 December 1927, under the conditions of the stabilization loan coordinated by the [[Economic and Financial Organization of the League of Nations|Economic and Financial Organization]] of the [[League of Nations]],<ref>{{Citation |last=Kakridis |first=Andreas |title=‘Nobody’s Child’: The Bank of Greece in the Interwar Years |date=2023 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/spread-of-the-modern-central-bank-and-global-cooperation/nobodys-child/7FA6700509D357BB59DDD2C96A1FF89D |work=The Spread of the Modern Central Bank and Global Cooperation: 1919–1939 |pages=225–267 |editor-last=Kakridis |editor-first=Andreas |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/9781009367578.012 |isbn=978-1-009-36757-8 |editor2-last=Eichengreen |editor2-first=Barry|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and its operations started officially in 1928. The shares of the Bank of Greece are registered and have been listed on the [[Athens Exchange]] since June 12, 1930.<ref name=Psalidopoulos>{{citation |title=History of the Bank of Greece 1928-2008: From government's banker to guardian of financial stability |author=Michalis Psalidopoulos |date=October 2019 |url=https://www.bankofgreece.gr/Publications/The_History_of_the_Bank_of_Greece_1928_to_2008.pdf |location=Athens |publisher=Bank of Greece}}</ref>

During the [[Axis occupation of Greece]] (1941–44), Governor Kyriakos Varvaresos and Deputy Governor Georgios Mantzavinos followed the [[Greek government in exile]] to [[London]]. The [[Hellenic State (1941–44)|collaborationist governments]] in Greece fired Varvaresos and Mantzavinos in 1941 and appointed first Miltiadis Negrepontis as Governing Counsellor (April 24, 1941 – July 3, 1941), then Dimitrios Santis as Governor (July 3, 1941 – January 20, 1943) and Andreas Papadimitriou as Deputy Governor (July 3, 1941 – November 18, 1941), and finally Theodoros Tourkovasilis as Governor (April 19, 1943 – April 13, 1944) and Spyridon Hatzikyriakos as Deputy Governor (April 5, 1943 – October 5, 1944). After the liberation, all dismissals and appointments by occupation-era governments concerning members of the administration of the Bank of Greece were declared null and void.

Until January 2001 (when Greece adopted the [[euro]]) the bank was responsible for the former national currency, the [[Modern drachma|drachma]]. Greece had failed to meet the membership criteria and was excluded from participating [[History of the euro#Launch|when the euro was launched]] on 1 January 1999. Use of physical drachma notes and coins [[History of the euro#Currency transition|continued until 31 December 2001]], as denominations of the euro.

==Operations==

The bank has a staff of more than 1,800 [[employee]]s. Its primary objective is to ensure [[price stability]] in Greece. It also supervises the private banks and acts as a treasurer and fiscal agent for the [[Greek government]]. Since law 3867/2010 was passed the Bank of Greece is also responsible for supervising private insurance companies, merging with the Committee for the Supervision of Insurance Companies established by law 3229/2004.

Its [[Euro banknotes]] printer identification code is '''Y'''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/InformationWebsite.htm?http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Which_country_are_the_Euro_Banknotes_from | title=Euro FAQ | publisher=The Euro Information Website | access-date=15 January 2009}}</ref> The Bank of Greece also sells [[gold sovereign]]s.

==Legal status and ownership==

The Bank of Greece is a joint-stock company with special privileges, special restrictions, and duties.<ref>[http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/el/Bank/LegalF/statute.aspx Bank of Greece articles of association] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015101255/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/el/Bank/LegalF/statute.aspx |date=2013-10-15 }}, Edition Θ, 2000 Chapter Χ, «ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΜΕΣΑ ΝΟΜΙΣΜΑΤΙΚΗΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗΣ» (Retrieved 31/03/2011)</ref> It is prohibited from operating as a commercial bank.

The percentage of shares under Greek state ownership cannot exceed 35 percent<ref name="ownership">[http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/el/Bank/LegalF/statute.aspx Bank of Greece articles of association] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015101255/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/el/Bank/LegalF/statute.aspx |date=2013-10-15 }}, Edition Θ, 2000, Chapter ΙΙ, Article 8, «ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟ ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟΘΕΜΑΤΙΚΑ» (Retrieved 31/03/2011)</ref> (initially this limit was 10 percent<ref>[http://moneyingreece.org/bank-of-greece-articles-of-association-1928 Bank of Greece articles of association], Edition Α, 1928, Part ΙΙ, Article 8, «ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟ ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟΘΕΜΑΤΙΚΑ» (retrieved 11/11/2016).</ref>). As of early 2024, the government share was slightly over 21 percent, of which 8.9 percent directly held by the Greek state and 12.4 percent through the {{ill|National Social Security Fund (Greece){{!}}National Social Security Fund|el|Εθνικός Φορέας Κοινωνικής Ασφάλισης}}. The rest of the bank's equity was widely dispersed, with no single shareholder known to hold more than 1 percent.

==Leadership==
[[File:Alexandros Diomidis-2.jpg|thumb|Alexandros Diomidis (1875-1950) was the first governor of the Bank of Greece]]

===Governors===

The chief officer of the Bank of Greece is the Governor ({{langx|el|διοικητής}}, {{IPA|el|ðiiciˈtis|IPA}}), a governmental appointee.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bankofgreece.gr/BogDocumentEn/Governors.pdf |title=Governors of the Bank of Greece |access-date=2014-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809162818/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/BogDocumentEn/Governors.pdf |archive-date=2014-08-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Officeholder !! Entered office !! Left office !! Notes
|-
| [[Alexandros Diomidis]] || April 21, 1928 || September 29, 1931 || [[Prime Minister of Greece|Prime Minister]] 1949–50
|-
| [[Emmanouil Tsouderos]] || October 31, 1931 || August 13, 1935 || First term
|-
| [[Emmanouil Tsouderos]] || March 20, 1936 || July 10, 1939 || Second term; Prime Minister 1941–44 ([[Greek government-in-exile|in exile]])
|-
| [[Ioannis Drosopoulos]] ||  July 10, 1939 || July 28, 1939 ||
|-
| [[Kyriakos Varvaresos]] || August 4, 1939 || February 2, 1946 ||
|-
| [[Xenophon Zolotas]] || October 12, 1944 || January 8, 1945 || First term; co-Governor
|-
| [[Georgios Mantzavinos]]|| February 11, 1946 || February 2, 1955 ||
|-
| [[Xenophon Zolotas]] || February 5, 1955 || August 7, 1967 || Second term
|-
| Dimitrios Galanis || August 7, 1967 || May 4, 1973 ||
|-
| [[Konstantinos Papagiannis]]|| May 7, 1973 || August 9, 1974 ||
|-
| {{Interlanguage link|Panagis Papaligouras|el|3=Παναγής Παπαληγούρας}} || August 9, 1974 || October 24, 1974 ||
|-
| [[Xenophon Zolotas]] || November 26, 1974 || November 3, 1981 || Third term; Prime Minister 1989–90
|-
| [[Gerasimos Arsenis]] || November 3, 1981 || February 20, 1984 ||
|-
| [[Dimitrios Chalikias]]|| February 20, 1984 || February 20, 1992 ||
|-
| [[Efthymios Christodoulou]] || February 20, 1992 || December 1, 1993 ||
|-
| [[Ioannis Boutos]]|| December 1, 1993 || October 26, 1994 ||
|-
| [[Lucas Papademos]] || October 26, 1994 || June 14, 2002 || Prime Minister 2011–12
|-
| [[Nikolaos Garganas]]|| June 14, 2002 || June 14, 2008 || [[Greek Financial Audit, 2004]]
|-
| [[George Provopoulos|Georgios Provopoulos]] || June 20, 2008 || June 20, 2014 || [[Greek government-debt crisis]]; [[European debt crisis]]
|-
| [[Yannis Stournaras]] || 20 June 2014 || '''Incumbent''' || [[Greek government-debt crisis]]; [[European debt crisis]]
|}

===Deputy governors===

The Deputy Governor ({{langx|el|υποδιοικητής|translit=ypodioikētés}}) is the Bank's second-in-line officer. Traditionally the Deputy Governors' main remit is administration, whereas Governors supervise monetary policy at large.<ref>[http://www.bankofgreece.gr/BogDocumentEn/Deputies.pdf Deputy Governors of the Bank of Greece]</ref>

*[[Emmanouil Tsouderos]]: April 21, 1928 – October 31, 1931
*[[Emmanouil Kamaras]]: November 25, 1931 – May 30, 1932
*[[Kyriakos Varvaresos]]: March 1, 1933 – August 4, 1939
*[[Georgios Mantzavinos]]: September 28, 1936 – February 11, 1946
*[[Ioannis Arvanitis]]: August 4, 1939 – April 26, 1941
*[[Stylianos Gregoriou]]: March 28, 1945 – February 2, 1955
*[[Vasileios Kyriakopoulos]]: February 5, 1955 – December 24, 1955
*[[Dimitrios Galanis]]: December 31, 1955 – August 7, 1967
*[[Ioannis Pesmazoglou]]: February 11, 1960 – August 5, 1967
*[[Konstantinos Thanos]]: January 5, 1968 – September 10, 1969
*[[Efstathios Panas]]: September 11, 1969 – August 9, 1974
*[[Nikolaos Kyriazidis]]: August 9, 1974 – January 5, 1977
*[[Nikolaos Charisopoulos]]: October 21, 1975 – November 6, 1981
*[[Evangelos Devletoglou]]: December 23, 1977 – November 8, 1978
*[[Georgios Drakos]]: November 24, 1978 – October 20, 1981
*[[Dimitrios Chalikias]]: November 16, 1981 – February 6, 1984
*[[Evangelos Kourakos]] (1st period): July 10, 1982 – February 11, 1986
*[[Panagiotis Korliras]]: February 20, 1984 – August 30, 1985
*[[Efstathios Papageorgiou]]: September 17, 1985 – September 17, 1989
*[[George Provopoulos]]: October 1, 1990 – November 29, 1993
*[[Vasileios Antonioudakis]]: October 1, 1990 – December 19, 1991
*[[Panagiotis Pavlopoulos]]: February 21, 1992 – November 29, 1993
*Evangelos Kourakos (2nd period): December 1, 1993 – September 4, 1996
*[[Lucas Papademos]]: December 1, 1993 – October 26, 1994
*[[Panagiotis Thomopoulos]]: October 26, 1994 – February 26, 2009
*[[Nikolaos Garganas]]: September 5, 1996 – June 13, 2002
*[[Nikolaos Palaiokrassas]]: June 14, 2002 – June 14, 2008
*[[Eleni Dendrinou Louri]]: June 20, 2008 – June 20, 2014
*[[Iannis Mourmouras]]: September, 2014 –
*[[Theodoros Mitrakos]]: March 2015 –

==Buildings==

The Bank of Greece's central building on [[Panepistimiou Street]] was designed in 1933 by a team of architects led by Nikolaos Zoumpoulidis, Kimon Laskaris, and Konstantinos Papadakis and inaugurated in 1938.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bank of Greece (en) - Contemporary Monuments Database|url=http://www.eie.gr/archaeologia/En/arxeio_more.aspx?id=184|website=National Hellenic Research Foundation|access-date=27 September 2014}}</ref> It was extended in the 1970s to occupy the entire block.<ref>{{cite web |website=Bank of Greece |url=https://www.bankofgreece.gr/en/the-bank/history/buildings/additions-to-the-central-building |title=Subsequent extensions to the original building}}</ref>

The building in [[Thessaloniki]], on the northern corner of [[Eleftherias Square]], was designed in 1925 by Aristomenis Valvis and N. Mitsakis for the [[National Bank of Greece]]. With the Bank of Greece being established in the course of its construction, it was remodeled to accommodate both institutions and completed in 1933. Since then, it has been continuously shared by the two, with respective entrances on opposite ends of the building.<ref>{{cite web |website=Bank of Greece |url=https://www.bankofgreece.gr/en/the-bank/history/buildings/thessaloniki-branch |title=The Thessaloniki Branch building}}</ref>

The bank also erected branch buildings in a number of other Greek cities, aimed at providing services but also to project a sense of stability following the turmoil of the [[European banking crisis of 1931]]. For that, it adopted a generally neoclassical design style in the 1930s for the branches in [[Chania]], [[Larissa]], [[Mytilene]], [[Samos]], [[Serres]], [[Tripoli, Greece|Tripoli]] and [[Volos]], some of which were only completed after [[World War II]]. The Bank of Greece later completed new branch buildings in [[Heraklion]], [[Ioannina]] and [[Komotini]] in the 1968s, [[Alexandroupolis]] in 2000, and [[Patras]] in 2001. In [[Kalamata]], [[Kavala]] and [[Lamia]], it purchased pre-existing buildings. The branch building in [[Rhodes (city)|Rhodes]] was designed in Rome for the [[Bank of Italy]] under [[Italian Islands of the Aegean|Italian rule of the Dodecanese]], taken over by the Greek government in 1945, and transferred to the Bank of Greece in 1952.<ref>{{cite web |website=Bank of Greece |url=https://www.bankofgreece.gr/en/the-bank/history/buildings/branches |title=Regional Branches}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:View of the Bank of Greece on Stadiou Street from the Old Parliament.jpg|1970s extension of the head office building on [[Stadiou Street]] in Athens
File:Bâtiment Banque Grèce - Lamía (GR06) - 2022-03-21 - 1.jpg|Branch building in [[Lamia]], erected in 1927 and acquired by the Bank of Greece in 1940
File:Bank of Greece in Rhodes.jpg|Branch building in [[Rhodes]], originally completed 1930 for the [[Bank of Italy]]
File:Bank of Greece Thessaloniki 4.jpg|Branch building in [[Thessaloniki]], shared with the [[National Bank of Greece]]
File:Volos BankofGreece.jpg|Branch building in [[Volos]], completed in 1935
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Banks}}
* [[Banking in Greece]]
* [[List of banks in Greece]]
* [[List of central banks]]
* [[List of financial supervisory authorities by country]]

==References==
<references/>

==Sources==
* [http://cadtm.org/IMG/pdf/Report.pdf Hellenic Parliament], June 2015, page 22

==External links==
*{{in lang|el|en}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20150628221907/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/en/default.aspx Bank of Greece official site]
* [http://moneyingreece.org/bank-of-greece-governor-report-for-1928 Governor report on the balance sheet of 31st December 1928]
{{Central banks by country}}
{{Central banks of the European Union}}
{{Greece topics}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bank of Greece}}
[[Category:Bank of Greece| ]]
[[Category:Banks established in 1927]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the Athens Exchange]]
[[Category:European System of Central Banks|Greece]]
[[Category:Eurosystem|Greece]]
[[Category:Government-owned companies of Greece]]
[[Category:Greek companies established in 1927]]
[[Category:European Banking Supervision|Greece]]
[[Category:European Single Resolution Mechanism|Greece]]