ATHENS – Euronext CEO Stephane Boujnah said the offer to acquire the Athens Stock Hellenic Exchanges will not be raised in an optional public offer running from Oct. 6-Nov. 17 and said the offer is already enough.
“We are not going to raise our bid. If the public offer is rejected, we will not deal with it any further. This is life,” he said, adding that acquiring the Greek exchange “is an important deal for Euronext, but not of existential importance.”
He said the offer will raise the standing of Greek companies on the exchange and that it was made because of Euronext’s confidence in the Greek economy continuing to grow under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “We are investing in a country we believe in.”
He said the Athens Stock Exchange will benefit from greater liquidity through integration into a pan-European “pool” of potential investors, in a structured, easier and more economical way, offering more attractive financing terms for Greek companies.
“The Greek stock market is already a success story, but it is at a crucial moment where it must take the next step,” he said, noting the Greek market is currently disproportionately smaller in relation to the dynamics of the Greek economy, said Kathimerini.
He also stressed that the deal will enhance the visibility and financing opportunities of Greek SMEs through the implementation of Euronext’s programs, which concern both pre- and post-IPO.
Boujnah said if the acquisition goes ahead, Euronext plans to proceed with the creation of a Support and Technology Center in Athens from 2026, to support the group’s business sectors, leveraging Greece’s large and attractive workforce, especially technology.
Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said, “This is an initiative that recognizes the great progress Greece has made in the field of digital transformation, and which at the same time constitutes an investment in the human capital of our country.”
