Athens is building a genuine shipping presence on its stock exchange for the first time in years, as Euronext works to position the Greek capital as a Mediterranean counterpart to Oslo’s long-established maritime finance hub. Safe Bulkers, controlled by Polys Hajioannou, became the first Greek shipowner to take a dual listing in the summer of 2026, keeping its New York listing while adding Athens, and Star Bulk Carriers followed in September, raising $125 million. A Capital Maritime offering is also in motion, with the courtship having been deliberate: it began in 2021 with corporate bonds from groups including Costamare, Capital Product Partners and Safe Bulkers that introduced the shipping sector to domestic investors.
The push reflects more than Greece’s stable legal and tax regime for shipping; shipowners are also seeking a European listing venue that can serve as a financial back door should geopolitics sour, with repeated US-China trade clashes and London’s diminished pull after Brexit pushing companies toward a euro-area exchange seat. Since taking control of the Athens Exchange, Euronext has set out to make the Greek market the “stock-exchange home” of Greek shipowners, copying the specialized investor base that turned Oslo into Europe’s established shipping market, with Fearnley Securities of Norway opening an investment-banking hub aimed at Greek clients as part of a wider cluster of institutions following the sector into Athens.
Source: Greek City Times — https://greekcitytimes.com/2026/10/03/athens-mediterranean-oslo-shipping-euronext
Tags: Euronext Athens, Greek Shipping, Capital Markets, Star Bulk
