- August 4, 2008 - Piraeus Bank has launched its GREEN BANKING branch in Athens - the first of its kind in Greece and the Balkans. As one of many green business initiatives championed by Piraeus Bank, the creation of the new branch forms an integral part of the Bank’s environmental policy as applied through its wider Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. Piraeus Bank considers Corporate Social Responsibility more of a 'strategic investment' than a 'cost'.

The inauguration of the GREEN BANKING branch comes at a time when banks and other financial institutions throughout the world are investing in new technologies and services in an effort to tackle climate change, possibly the greatest single challenge facing humanity today. In response to this global call, Piraeus Bank is adapting to the new environmental and economic challenge by minimizing its ecological footprint and transferring expertise to other concerned stakeholders.

The purpose of the green branch is to promote, both among customers and the wider public, the opportunities provided by Piraeus Bank for investments in clean technologies and new services that are also beneficial to the environment. Specifically, visitors to GREEN BANKING may:

• become acquainted with the environmental policy of Piraeus Bank and how it is being put into practice through GREENBanking4Life, a European supported project
  
• learn what is meant by a company's 'Ecological Footprint', how this affects the environment and society, and what benefits derive from its reduction
  
• be informed about the risks to businesses posed by climate change and how these can be successfully addressed
  
• find out about the European Union's environmental policies, the trends, the obligations, and the new opportunities to invest in renewable energy and also green technologies and services
  
• learn how they may benefit from reducing energy consumption or by building according to bioclimatic principles
  
• benefit from the green products Piraeus Bank has designed and offers to its clients, and discover how these products help society.

Two staff members of the Environmental Department of Piraeus Bank have been appointed the task of running the green branch. The branch is located on 18 Panepistimiou street, Athens, GREECE, is open during banking hours and can be reached on +30-210-3739035.

Piraeus Bank

Piraeus Bank

Piraeus Bank Group is one of the most dynamic and active financial organisations in Greece today. Founded in 1916, Piraeus Bank went through a period of state-ownership and management (1975-1991) before it was privatised in December 1991. Today, Piraeus Bank leads a group of companies covering all financial and banking activities in the Greek market (universal bank). Piraeus Bank possesses particular know-how in the areas of retail banking, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), capital markets and investment banking, leasing and financing of the shipping sector. Piraeus Bank Group has a growing international presence, focused in Southeastern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean, but also in the financial centres of London and New York. Main strategic targets of Piraeus Bank Group are: further enhancing market shares in Greece and abroad wherever it operates, improving service quality and customer satisfaction, creating innovative products, further enhancing the Group's position in retail banking and small and medium-sized enterprises financing, strengthening the Group in the areas of asset management and bancassurance and, finally, strengthening profitability with a view of constantly increasing shareholder value.

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