While the European Union expressed its full solidarity with Greece, regarding Libya’s approval of the Maritime memorandum with Turkey, Washington appeared distanced to the issue and urged both neighboring countries to find a solution through negotiations. In a statement issued on Thursday, the U.S. State Department has encouraged its partners in the Eastern Mediterranean “to […]
Greece and Egypt are discussing extending their Exclusive Economic Zone eastwards towards Cyprus after eastern Libya’s parliament ratified a disputed maritime agreement with Turkey earlier this week, Greece’s foreign minister said. Greece, Egypt and Cyprus have long opposed the Turkey-Libya maritime accord, arguing that it infringes on their own maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean. […]
The Greek finance ministry said on Thursday it was implementing sanctions in place linked to Iran and that it backed efforts to effectively combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
Greek retail investors are increasingly turning to stock markets with relatively small starting amounts and a long-term investment approach, according to a new report by Wealthyhood, the investment platform that partnered with the Bank of Cyprus to expand access to investing in Cyprus.
The report, titled ‘Greek Investor Pulse 2026: The New Greek Investor‘, marks the first anniversary of Wealthyhood’s launch in Greece in October 2025 and draws on anonymised, aggregated data from more than 35,000 registered users.
It found that the typical new investor is 34 years old and starts investing with €100, while more than eight in 10 investors are currently in profit.
The findings also point to growing interest in domestic shares, with one in five investors now holding Greek stocks or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) following the introduction of Greek shares to the platform in July 2026.
The report is also relevant to Cyprus, where Wealthyhood launched a co-branded investment platform with the Bank of Cyprus earlier this year, making investing available to residents regardless of whether they bank with the lender.
The Wealthyhood x BoC platform subsequently introduced trading in Cypriot and Greek shares, allowing retail investors to access companies listed on the Cyprus Stock Exchange and Euronext Athens through a single application, with fractional investing available from €1.
“We thank our clients for their trust in our first year in Greece, and we make a promise that our app will keep getting better, day by day, to make investing easy, affordable and safe for everyone,” said Alexandros Christodoulakis, co-founder and chief executive of Wealthyhood.
Younger investors and broader participation
The report describes an investor base spanning different age groups, regions and income brackets, consisting mainly of employees and self-employed professionals on everyday incomes.
The median age is 34, with 34 per cent of investors under 30 and 31 per cent aged between 35 and 44.
Women account for approximately one in six new investors, although their returns were higher than those of men, at 23.8 per cent against 20.9 per cent on an annual basis.
Wealthyhood said increasing women’s participation remained one of the most important challenges for Greece’s investment market.
The figures also suggest that investing is no longer confined to high earners, with 58 per cent of investors declaring annual incomes below €20,000.
Around 66 per cent work full-time, while 17 per cent are self-employed.
Geographically, investors using the platform live in 458 towns across 73 of Greece’s 74 regional units.
Attica accounts for 51 per cent of investors, leaving 49 per cent living elsewhere in the country, while Thessaloniki follows with 11.7 per cent.
Other cities with notable investor populations include Patras, Heraklion, Chania, Larissa and Volos.
ETFs dominate first investments
Exchange-traded funds are the most common starting point for new investors, with 56 per cent making an ETF their first investment.
These funds provide exposure to a collection of stocks through a single investment, offering a way to diversify without buying each share individually.
The most popular first investment is the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, which tracks the performance of 500 of the largest US companies and was chosen by 18 per cent of new Greek investors.
The S&P 500 is also the most popular investment overall, while NVIDIA is the favourite individual stock across generations.
Trading activity is concentrated around the opening of US markets, with the busiest hour falling between 5pm and 6pm, often after the working day.
Weekdays account for 91 per cent of orders, compared with 9 per cent at weekends.
Recommendations from friends also play a significant role in bringing new investors to the market, with 23 per cent saying they began investing following a referral.
Greek shares gain ground
Since Greek stocks became available on the platform in July, one in five investors has added Greek shares or ETFs to their portfolio.
The report found that 21 per cent of every euro invested since July went into Greek stocks and ETFs, while Public Power Corporation (PPC) rose to become the eighth most popular stock of the year within just three months of the market becoming available.
The findings suggest that access through a digital platform has encouraged investors to diversify beyond international markets and consider domestic companies.
The report also examined investor behaviour during the March 2026 market sell-off, finding that users bought €1.82 for every €1 they sold.
Almost half of Greek investors had not sold any of their investments, a finding Wealthyhood said pointed to a relatively long-term approach despite market volatility.
Most investors in profit
Overall, 82.8 per cent of investors were in profit, with an average annualised return of 21.1 per cent.
The report also found that investors who traded less frequently achieved higher returns than those who made more frequent trades.
Those making fewer moves and avoiding selling recorded annualised returns of 23.3 per cent, compared with 18.5 per cent among more active traders.
Wealthyhood said five broad conclusions emerged from the first year of data, including wider access to investing, a long-term investment horizon, resilience during the March sell-off, growing interest in Greek shares and positive returns across much of its investor base.
The findings indicate a gradual change in how Greek retail investors approach financial markets, with smaller initial investments, diversification through ETFs and increasing participation in domestic stocks.
Wealthyhood said its aim was to contribute to public discussion about retail participation in capital markets, using real-world anonymised data to examine who invests, what they choose and how they react during periods of uncertainty.
The Ministry of National Economy and Finance on Thursday underscored the close cooperation between Greek authorities and their counterparts in the United States, as well as with other partners, to safeguard the integrity of the international financial system. The statement followed an announcement by the U.S. Treasury Department regarding operation Economic Outcast, which aims to […]
The Greek finance ministry said on Thursday it was implementing sanctions in place linked to Iran and that it backed efforts to effectively combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
The statement comes after the US Treasury Department said on Wednesday it imposed sanctions on Karnakis & Karnakis, a law firm based in Greece and Panama, saying it had for years provided legal assistance to Iranian shipping networks.
The Treasury also said that the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an administrative subpoena to advance an investigation into a Greek bank, which it did not name.
The Greek finance ministry said it had taken note of the US Treasury statement, adding that “all available information is being evaluated, and appropriate measures are being taken in accordance with established procedures and applicable national, EU, and international law.”
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Wednesday on Karnakis & Karnakis, a law firm based in Greece and Panama, saying it had for years provided legal assistance to Iranian shipping networks.
The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also issued an administrative subpoena to advance an investigation into a Greek bank over potential ties to Iran, according to a Treasury statement, which did not name the bank.
FINCEN also issued requests for information to six other European banks that it did not name over relationships with Iranian financial institutions under US sanctions.
“Whether you are conducting illegal oil transfers at sea or sitting in the corner office of a law firm, if you are supporting the Iranian regime, we will find you and sanction you,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a release.
Washington has held off striking Iran this month in the war that the US and Israel launched on February 28, and instead has continued the blockade of Iranian ports and issued waves of sanctions on Iranian shipping networks and those who the US says aid them.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Karnakis & Karnakis for years “set up shell companies to hide the true owners of vessels carrying Iranian oil, petrochemicals, and steel.”
He said the firm created companies that served as fronts for networks selling millions of barrels of Iranian oil to benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force and the Houthis.
Karnakis & Karnakis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Treasury also imposed sanctions on Singapore- and UAE-based shipping agents that it said directly aid Iranian shadow fleet operations.
Each country’s protesters have distinct grievances. Listen to them, not the voices telling us Europe is ungovernable
Last Saturday night, the town hall of Limoges in west-central France was set ablaze. By Sunday, images of the fire destroying a symbol of the French republic, and other scenes of unrest across France, were everywhere, but being used to tell very different stories about what is happening in Europe.
For some, the flames announced a pan-European youth revolt, proof that a single movement was sweeping the continent. Donald Trump, who had already insisted that the French schools protests were not about schools but about migration and Islam, urged Europeans to “close the borders”. The mayor of Limoges saw the fingerprints of an alleged ultra-left insurrection.
Alberto Alemanno is the Jean Monnet professor of EU law at HEC Paris and the founder of The Good Lobby
France readers Q&A: Guardian Europe columnists Rokhaya Diallo and Alexander Hurst will be live taking questions from our readers about the unrest in France from at 1500 BST / 1600 CEST on Friday 23 October. Send your questions by email now to conversations@theguardian.com or post questions in the comments from 0900 BST here.
Since high school students began protesting in France in September, they’ve been joined by young demonstrators in at least seven other European countries.
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