“200 Years of Greek Economy: Between State and Market”

Academic Meeting of the Historical Archives of Alpha Bank and the Bank of Greece.

The Historical Archives of Alpha Bank and the Bank of Greece hosted an academic meeting of particular significance in the city of Nafplio, as part of the 2 banks’ contribution to the celebrations for the 200-year anniversary from the Greek War of Independence.

The Meeting on “200 Years of Greek Economy: Between State and Market” took place from 2 to 4 December 2021, under the auspices of H.E. the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

It was hosted in a venue of great symbolism, the Vouleftiko building, where the Greek Parliament had its seat from the autumn of 1825 to the spring of 1826.

The aim of the academic meeting was to examine the course of the Greek economy from the beginnings of the Greek state’s history to the present day, and evaluate it within an international comparative context.

The proceedings began on Thursday 2 December 2021. The Director of the Centre for Culture, Research and Documentation of the Bank of Greece, Mr Panagiotis Panagakis, and University of Athens Professor and Head of the Alpha Bank Historical Archives, Mr Kostas Kostis, gave brief welcome addresses.

These were followed by the Meeting’s keynote speech, given by distinguished Professor Şevket Pamuk (Boğaziçi University) on the subject of Turkey’s economic development in the 19th and 20th centuries in a comparative perspective.

During the meeting, 20 speeches were given by distinguished scientists of various fields (economists, historians, political scientists, sociologists) from Greece and abroad, all experts in the topics they were asked to cover.

The last day culminated with the speeches of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alpha Bank, Mr Vasileios Rapanos, and the Governor of the Bank of Greece, Mr Yannis Stournaras.

The academic meeting was broadcast live on Alpha Bank’s YouTube channel.