A draft bill liberalizing the framework for new forms of financing by Greece’s crisis-battered companies will soon be tabled in Parliament, satisfying a standing demand by the Athens Stock Exchange and the Hellenic Capital Market Commission.
The bill, which is expected to be passed by a wide majority of MPs, will lift a series of restrictions on issuing bond loans for companies, for instance. The legislation also comes in a bid to harmonize Greek legislation with an EU Directive (2014/91/ΕΕ/257).
One of the highlights of the bill will free up the framework for setting interest rates for bond loans, a long-standing demand by the Athens bourse. Currently, a ceiling of 5.3 percent was mandated, something that will be abolished when dealing with bond loans via a public offering and private offers via special investors. The 21st century tool of crowdfunding, popular via the Internet, will also be foreseen in a corporate setting in Greece.
