Opening ceremony of Credit Bank headquarters

Commemorative metal plaque for the construction of Credit Bank’s new headquarters, 1987, measuring 6.5 x 4 cm.  

One side depicts the new headquarters.  

The other side reads a half-line by Dionysios Solomos – author of the Greek national anthem – used by Yannis Costopoulos in his speech during the opening ceremony: “WITH WISDOM AND VISION”. The text below it reads: “CREDIT BANK 1990”. 

An important milestone for a new era 

In 1986 Credit Bank was on a tremendous growth path involving: 

• Restructuring its services. 
• Expanding its network of branches. 
• Using state-of-the-art technology. 
• Founding new subsidiaries. 
• Achieving an important milestone in its course.  

The completion of the fist construction phase of Credit Bank’s new headquarters was a remarkable feat of technical skill that marked a new era for the bank. 

Start of operations and opening ceremony 

The new headquarters, still standing proud at the corner of Stadiou and Pesmazoglou Streets in the heart of Athens, opened its doors to the public on 3 November 1986. Apart from the central branch, the new building housed the General Division, the Secretariat Division and the Financial Services Division. 

The official opening ceremony was held on 20 February 1987. The ceremony was attended by government and local government officials, politicians, entrepreneurs and journalists. 

The speech delivered by Yannis Costopoulos 

Credit Bank’s President and General Manager Yannis Costopoulos delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. In an emotional tone, he highlighted the efforts of all the people who contributed to accomplishing the feat:  

“We set off with wisdom and vision, as per the poet’s command, and on one simple condition: that our new headquarters would truly reflect our era’s state-of-the-art. 

We picked an excellent team of technicians, without whose brilliant work and perfect coordination we would have never managed to complete the task in time and with such efficiency. More than 1,000 people toiled for this project. Architects, civil engineers, tradesmen of all disciplines, technicians and workers – each and every one of them working non-stop to the best of their abilities, with conviction and gusto, for the best part of 2,000 days. 

Now, the finished Credit Bank building stands proud, and this we owe to that deeper sense of community which united us all in a common purpose. Credit Bank thanks you all for your responsibility, dedication and consistency.” 

“With wisdom and vision” 

More than 1,000 people contributed to the construction of the new headquarters, working with wisdom and vision. Credit Bank publicly thanked every single one of them by name in a press release. 

A commemorative plaque was made to honour this milestone in the bank’s history in the most celebratory manner. 

Artful commemorative objects 

The commemorative plaque belongs to the bank’s collection of corporate gifts and commemorative medals. Besides their commemorative value, the objects comprising the collection are also artfully executed and depict impressive figures and scenes. 

The Alpha Bank Historical Archives are not open to the public. 

Research visits can be organised upon request. 

Contact us to request a visit.