Greece welcomes Euronext's proposed full acquisition of Athens Stock Exchange
In a statement, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said it "takes a very positive view of the potential agreement," describing the offer as "a sign of trust in the stability and positive outlook of the Greek economy."
The Paris-based Euronext Group announced on Monday that it had initiated discussions with the board of ATHEX regarding a possible acquisition of 100 percent of the Greek bourse's shares. The proposed transaction, valued at 399 million euros (about 470 million U.S. dollars), would be executed via a share exchange. According to the proposal, based on Euronext's closing share price of 145.10 euros as of June 30, 2025, each 21.029 ATHEX shares would be exchanged for one Euronext share.
Euronext noted that the offer remains subject to due diligence and further review. "The combined group would operate on a unified trading and post-trade technology platform and a cross-border clearing framework," the company said. It added that the transaction would contribute to the integration of European capital markets and support the transformation of Greece's financial infrastructure.
ATHEX confirmed on Monday that it had received an "unsolicited, non-binding and highly conditional" all-share acquisition proposal from Euronext. The board of ATHEX, together with its financial and legal advisors, is currently assessing the offer from both strategic and financial perspectives. No formal negotiations have yet taken place, the statement said.
Founded in 1876, the Athens Stock Exchange is Greece's main securities market. As of 2023, ATHEX hosted approximately 130 listed companies, mainly in the financial, energy, telecommunications and shipping sectors. Its average daily trading volume ranges between 80 million and 100 million euros.
According to its official website, Euronext is responsible for around 25 percent of Europe's equity trading and operates exchanges in Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Oslo and Paris. The group has over 1,800 listed companies with a combined market capitalization exceeding 6 trillion euros. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollars)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysian Reserve
2 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
HNSE Asia AI Hardware Battle 2025 Adds Japan Retail Showcase for Top 10 Winners; Application Deadline Extended to July 12
LINGSHUI, China, July 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The organizers of the HaiNan-Southeast Asia AI Hardware Battle (HNSE AHB) are pleased to announce an expanded prize package for this year's competition and an extended deadline for entries. Organized by TechNode and TNGlobal, and presented by Lingshui Li Autonomous County Development Group Holdings Limited, the competition will now award each of the Top 10 winners a minimum two-week in-store showcase at select CCC Group retail outlets across Japan, including the iconic Tsutaya Books chain. This retail opportunity is powered by the Japan-based crowdfunding platform GREEN FUNDING, which is now a strategic partner of HNSE AHB, further strengthening the program's bridge between Asian hardware innovation and global consumer markets. The new retail benefit extends HNSE AHB's original incentives, which already include round-trip airfare to the Grand Finale in Hainan on July 26, 2025, booth exhibition passes at the 'Tech Meets Art' Festival, global media exposure, and investor matchmaking opportunities. HNSE AHB now gives founders direct access to Japan's influential tech-lifestyle audience. CCC Group operates more than 800 Tsutaya stores, widely regarded as design-forward cultural hubs that attract early adopters and trend watchers. Products selected for the showcase must (1) confirm a campaign launch on the GREEN FUNDING platform, (2) clear GREEN FUNDING's internal screening process, and (3) meet CCC Group's scheduling criteria for store category fit and campaign timeline. Store locations and display periods will be determined at GREEN FUNDING's discretion, ensuring that each product is matched to the most suitable Tsutaya venue. Full terms and conditions are available from the HNSE AHB organizing team. 'By combining the creative reach of GREEN FUNDING with the cultural influence of Tsutaya Books, we are offering founders an end-to-end pathway from prototype to Japanese consumers in record time,' said Dr. Gang Lu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the TechNode Group. 'This is exactly the kind of market-entry catalyst our competition was designed to deliver.' Japan remains a leading global market for consumer technology, yet localization hurdles—ranging from language to retail distribution—can be a hurdle for overseas startups. GREEN FUNDING, founded in 2011 and owned by the CCC Group, is recognized as one of Japan's top crowdfunding portals for creative tech gadgets. Its promotion of hardware campaigns through both digital backer communities and physical Tsutaya stores has proven highly effective in driving early sales and media coverage. Key dates: applications are extended to July 12, 2025, while on-site finals take place July 26, 2025 in Lingshui, Hainan, followed by the award ceremony on July 27, 2025. Eligible teams—startups and established firms alike—must present an AI-driven hardware product that has reached at least the prototype stage and fits one of HNSE AHB's focus sectors, including smart home, wearables, smart vehicles, robotics, and VR/AR. With GREEN FUNDING now a strategic partner, HNSE AHB offers what we believe is an unparalleled launchpad: pitch in Hainan, secure investor backing, and debut in Japan's most celebrated lifestyle bookstores—all within the same summer. The countdown to the application deadline has begun; we look forward to welcoming the region's brightest hardware talents to the stage. Interested innovators can apply via the registration link on the official event page at scan the QR code in the poster, or contact elliesoo@ for further guidance. For any questions regarding this release, please contactContact Person: Ellie SooPhone Number: N/A Email: elliesoo@
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Economic and trade empowerment
ROME: Italy is looking to Malaysia to partner with, in its quest to level up in the economic and trade sectors, says Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani. Tajani, who is also Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, said Malaysia is one of the most progressive nations around with whom it had been building partnerships in the two sectors. 'The relations between Italy and Malaysia have always been good. Now, we look to build it further,' he said at a courtesy call to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here. He reiterated what Anwar said earlier about the importance of having peace and stability as the foundation to support and grow the business sector. 'We have many big companies and we are ready for joint ventures and investments abroad. 'Italy is also the second most industrious country in Europe,' he said, adding that this only meant Italy had a lot to offer. Anwar said Malaysia is an excellent partner to have since it has policies that are dynamic and clear. He said PETRONAS, being one of the top companies globally, is more than ready to move together with the European nation. Asean, he said as regional chair, is the most peaceful area in the world and economically most promising. Next-level ventures: Anwar shaking hands with Tajani during a courtesy call in Rome. The PM is on a three-day official visit to Italy, with the highlight of the trip being a meeting with his counterpart, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. — Bernama 'This will certainly pave the way for a greater cooperation.' He expressed gratitude for Tajani's visit as it reflected both nations' commitment to strengthen bilateral relations based on mutual respect and understanding. 'We have been talking about expanding our cooperation in various fields, including relations between Asean and the European Union,' he added. Anwar said they also spoke about regional and global conflicts including that in Gaza, Ukraine, Iran and Israel. He also spoke about his admiration for the rich Italian history, literature and art. He mentioned how touched he was when reading about Dante's Inferno, listening to the world-famous song Caruso and how the works of Leonardo da Vinci had impacted the world. His remarks brought loud and appreciative applause from the Italian audience at the meeting. He said he watched how Italy transformed itself, embracing the AI (artificial intelligence) realm, 'and I look forward to increasing cooperation with Italy'. Anwar also met the Muslim community in Rome headed by Italian Muslim Community Association deputy president Imam Yahya Pallavicini and Italian Cultural Centre secretary-general Abdellah Redouane to exchange ideas on strengthening the community's development. Earlier, the Prime Minister met translator Andrea Fais and Stefano Bonilauri, publisher of The Asian Renaissance, written almost 30 years ago. 'I'm touched that they chose to translate this into Italian,' Anwar said of his book that spoke about the rise of the Asian civilisation through culture, education and justice in the face of Western dominance. 'This effort will undoubtedly close the gap between Western and Eastern understanding, especially in a divisive world we live in.'
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Apple claims engineer stole trade secrets, took them to rival
SAN JOSE: Di Liu of San Jose told Apple he was resigning his position as a design engineer to spend more time with his family and look after his health, but he had secretly taken a job with a rival, and before leaving the iPhone giant, he stole a 'massive volume' of its trade secrets, Apple alleges in a lawsuit against Liu. Over his seven years at Cupertino, California-headquartered Apple, Liu rose to become a senior product-design engineer, and worked on the research and development of the company's Vision Pro augmented-reality headset, a wearable computing device. The lawsuit, and Liu's LinkedIn profile, indicate he now works as a product-design engineer at Santa Monica, California-based Snap, which owns social messaging app Snapchat, and sells a wearable product called 'Spectacles.' His final role at Apple gave him 'access to various novel Apple technologies that are embodied in Apple Vision Pro or not yet released,' the lawsuit filed June 24 in Santa Clara County Superior Court alleged. When Liu resigned, he concealed from Apple a job offer two weeks earlier from Snap that meant 'he would soon start working in a product design role at Snap substantially similar to the role he held at Apple,' the lawsuit claimed. 'Because Mr Liu did not inform Apple that he was departing to work on another company's product, Mr Liu was permitted to stay on at Apple for the standard two-week departure period rather than immediately losing access to Apple's proprietary information,' the lawsuit alleged. Three days before leaving Apple, Liu used his company credentials to download thousands of Apple documents containing trade secrets, and upload them into his personal cloud storage, the lawsuit claimed. Included in the material was information related to product design and development, and production information concerning quality control, cost, and supply chain strategies, the lawsuit alleged. 'The overlap between Apple's proprietary information that Mr Liu retained and Snap's AR products (for which Mr Liu is a 'product design engineer') suggests that Mr. Liu intends to use Apple's proprietary information at Snap,' the lawsuit claimed. Liu could not be reached for comment. It was not clear from court records whether he had a lawyer representing him in the case. Snap, not named as a defendant or accused of any wrongdoing, said it had reviewed the claims in Apple's lawsuit, and had 'no reason to believe they are related to this individual's employment or conduct at Snap.' Apple accused Liu of breaking his confidentiality agreement, and is seeking unspecified damages. The company also wants a court order forcing Liu to return allegedly stolen trade secrets, and subjecting his electronic devices and cloud accounts to inspection, to ensure they contain none of Apple's proprietary information. Apple's alleged insights into Liu's treatment of confidential information appear to have arisen from examination of his company-issued computer, which the lawsuit claimed he used to download secrets, and copy them to his cloud storage. Liu has retained Apple's confidential information, the lawsuit claimed. 'Mr Liu's actions were deliberate,' the lawsuit alleged. 'Logs on his Apple-issued work laptop show that Mr Liu individually selected the folders he copied and, in some cases, renamed and reorganised them after moving them to his personal cloud storage account.' The lawsuit claimed Liu also deleted files from his company laptop 'that might have let Apple determine what data Mr Liu stole.' Allegations of theft of Apple's trade secrets in recent years have led to criminal and civil court cases. In 2021, Apple sued product designer Simon Lancaster in San Jose US District Court, alleging he provided stolen proprietary information to a journalist. Lancaster in 2022 agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to settle the case, court records show. Also in 2022, Apple sued Mountain View computer hardware startup Rivos in San Jose US District Court, claiming it poached employees who took chip-design secrets before leaving Apple. Rivos in a 2023 court filing denied the claim, saying Apple was 'hoping to frighten and send a message to any employees who might dare to leave Apple to work somewhere else.' In 2023, federal authorities charged software engineer Weibao Wang with stealing thousands of sensitive documents from Apple. The US Department of Justice claimed Wang fled to China five minutes before midnight the day law enforcement agents visited his Mountain View home. He was believed to be employed in China for an Apple competitor. An arrest warrant was issued for Wang, but the US does not have an extradition treaty with China. Last year, former Apple engineer Zhang Xiaolang received a four-month prison sentence for stealing Apple secrets while he was preparing to work for a Chinese startup. – The Mercury News/Tribune News Service
