President and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon said on Thursday that he intends to expand its office in Greece and to attract high-level staff to the country. Dimon met Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens two days after it emerged that JPMorgan had agreed to acquire an around 49% stake in Athens based basement fintech Viva Wallet, subject to regulatory approvals.
“As you know, we have plans to expand over time, so this could be a technology hub for JPMorgan Chase around the world,” the banking giant said at the start of the discussion. Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted that JPMorgan’s decision is a “vote of confidence in the country and the economy” and at the same time “confirms the new culture of startups that has appeared in Greece.”
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“Viva is a great sign of the talent in the field of engineering” that Greece has, said Mr. Dimon, adding that it is a field that offers an “excellent way” for the development of the economy. “I am excited about the progress you have made in Greece and we are also excited to buy 49% of Viva,” he added.
The Prime Minister spoke about a vote of confidence in Greece
The Prime Minister said during the meeting that: I would like to thank you for the vote of confidence in the country and the economyI consider it very important that you made a significant investment in a Greek company fintech with a very high valuation. I believe that this move confirms the new culture of startups that has appeared in Greece. “I would like to point out something that I consider to be of particular importance, the option legislation enacted by our government, which is an advantage for all employees of the company.”