We are thrilled to announce that POTAMITISVEKRIS acted as legal advisor to Attica Bank S.A. in its successful share capital increase, raising approximately €672.2 million through the issuance of 359,469,360 new ordinary registered shares, and in the issuance of the same number of warrants. This share capital increase, completed in November 2024, was designed to enhance the bank’s capital position and growth.

In advance of the share capital increase and warrant issuance, our team also acted as legal advisor to Attica Bank in its strategic merger by absorption of Pancreta Bank S.A., a milestone transaction completed in September 2024. Together, these significant capital initiatives, which took place in accordance with the provisions of the agreement concluded in July 2024 between the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund and Thrivest Holding Ltd, as ratified by Law 5127/2024, represent an important step toward establishing Attica Bank as the “fifth pillar” in the Greek banking sector.

This highly complex and challenging project was led by Partner George Bersis, with support from Senior Associate Elena Theocharakou and Associate Elisabetta Lentsiou. Partner Dimitris Loukas, assisted by Senior Associate Kostas Manikas and Associate Alexandros Ntallas, advised on competition law matters, notably on the merger control filing before the HCC, while the tax aspects were expertly handled by Partner Aspasia Malliou, with the assistance of Senior Associate Grigoris Katsoras.

Hogan Lovells acted as international counsel for Attica Bank S.A., led by Partners Madeleine Horrocks and Annalisa Dentoni-Litta, together with Senior Associate Franco Lambiase and Junior Associate Noemi Biagini.

We extend our warm congratulations to the exceptional team at Attica Bank S.A. on reaching this landmark achievement and express our gratitude for their trust and collaboration. We are honored to have been part of this transformative journey and look forward to supporting Attica Bank in future successes.

Our Criminal Litigation team succeeded in releasing a 53ft Mega Yacht allegedly involved in the Hydra forest fire incident. Our team managed to prove to the authorities that the ship owning company and the yacht had nothing to do with a negligent behavior of a crew member, thus securing the release.

As part of our firm’s commitment to ESG principles, the POTAMITISVEKRIS criminal law team provided pro bono legal representation before the First-Instance Criminal Court of Athens to eight minors who were victims of abuse, duress and endangerment. These minors were former residents of the renowned child protection foundation “Ark of the World” (“Kivotos”).
On November 14, 2024, after an extensive judicial process, five individuals—including the foundation’s prominent founder—were convicted on multiple charges. This outcome marks a pivotal judgment in the realm of child protection and the oversight of institutions tasked with caring for vulnerable minors.
Our team included Konstantinos Papadiamantis (Partner), Natalia Chrisagi (Senior Associate), Andreas Matsakas (Associate), and Evgenia Kordou (Associate).
This decision underscores the importance of safeguarding children’s rights and ensuring accountability within institutions designed to provide care and protection.

POTAMITISVEKRIS acted as lender’s legal advisor to NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE S.A. (NBG) on a landmark project financing spanning over the past two years in relation to a wind park portfolio exceeding 400MW sponsored by Aer Soléir (a subsidiary of US multinationals Quantum Capital Group and 547 Energy). With a total investment cost expected to reach €1 billion, the project will be co-financed by funds from the Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF) and is expected to be fully operational by 2026. The clean electricity that will be produced by the project is sufficient to supply 200,000 households annually.

Our dedicated project finance team, led by partners Euripides Ioannou and Anthea Terlegas and supported by senior associates Nikolaos Kampantais and Sophia Thanou, advised NBG on all aspects of this complex transaction, which included the design and implementation of an innovative contractual mechanism addressing the uncertain timing of the deployment of RRF funds and the subsequent incorporation into the transaction structure of power purchase agreements concluded with Amazon as offtaker.

The significance of the collaboration of Aer Soléir, NBG and Amazon on this emblematic investment, which in the long term is expected to create substantial economic benefits for Greece, was emphasised during Amazon’s “AWS Day powered by Logicom” conference, held in Athens, on Tuesday 19 November, at the “Hellenic World” Cultural Center, in the presence of the Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Theodore Skylakakis

https://www.aboutamazon.eu/news/sustainability/amazon-invests-in-first-utility-scale-wind-energy-projects-in-greece

POTAMITISVEKRIS is honoured to have contributed to the accomplishment of this major achievement and warmly congratulates all parties involved in this process.

Dimitris Loukas and associate Athanasios Taliadouros advised GEK Terna SA, Greece’s leading group of companies in the construction, infrastructure, energy utilities, waste management and real estate sectors, in relation to the HCC’s merger control approval process concerning its acquisition of control over the business activity of Attica Motorway, following the signing of a concession agreement for the financing, operation, maintenance and exploitation of Attica Motorway (Attiki Odos) for a period of 25 years pursuant to an international tender process. The team also advised GEK TERNA SA in relation to the granting by the HCC of a derogation from the obligation to suspend implementation of the transaction pending the approval process, in view of special circumstances warranting the early execution of the agreement for public interest and consumer welfare considerations.

Dimitris Loukas and team advised Apollo Capital Management (Apollo Funds), a leading provider of alternative asset management and retirement solutions globally, in relation to the HCC’s merger control approval process concerning its acquisition over IGT Gaming (a global gaming and play-digital services provider) and over Everi (a global gaming and fintech provider).

Dimitris Loukas and associate Athanasios Taliadouros advised IMITHEA, owner of the Henry Dunant hospital, in relation to the HCC’s merger control approval process for its acquisition of control over a number of private hospital clinics, rehabilitation centers and other holdings of the EUROMEDICA healthcare group.

We are pleased to announce that POTAMITISVEKRIS has recently acted as legal advisor in the drafting and negotiation of asset management agreements and service level agreements for real estate asset portfolios.
Our Partner Alexander Metallinos, supported by Associate Lucy Levi, assisted Eurobank S.A. and Eurobank Leasing Single Member SA in concluding the 2nd Service Level Agreement with Cerved Property Services Single Member SA regarding the management of Eurobank Group’s real estate portfolio. This agreement marks the continuation of the longstanding cooperation between Eurobank Group and Cerved Property Services, enhancing a wide range of services that have been successfully provided since 2019.
Furthermore, our Partner Theologos Mintzas, supported by Associate Elisabetta Lentsiou, advised one of the systemic banks on the successful execution of two service level agreements for the management of the credit institution’s repossessed real estate assets with two separate asset managers. In addition, Theologos Mintzas and Elisabetta Lentsiou assisted an investment management firm with the successful execution of an asset management agreement, ensuring the effective day-to-day strategic management of a portfolio of assets owned by a Greek systemic bank.
POTAMITISVEKRIS’ involvement in these transactions highlights the trust our clients place in our expertise and our ability to manage complex and prolonged negotiations.