Alpha Bank, Greece’s second largest, said yesterday full-year 2006 group net profit rose 24.6 percent to 626 million euros, broadly in line with market expectations, thanks to strong growth in retail credit. Alpha said it will propose a dividend per share of 0.75 euros, up 25 percent on 2005. Separately, Geniki Bank, majority-owned by France’s Societe Generale, reported yesterday a group net loss of 78.8 million euros in 2006 on higher loan-loss provisions. Geniki said loan-loss provisions last year reached 72.1 million euros, up from 39.4 million in 2005, as the bank adopted stricter credit risk assessment criteria on retail loans. The increase in provisions follows a year-long restructuring effort by the bank. (Reuters)

BAKU (Reuters) – Azeri gas may reach Greece as early as mid-2007 after Turkey builds an additional transit link for the fuel, Azeri Economy Minister Haydar Babayev said on Tuesday. Greece and Azerbaijan will hold intergovernmental talks on March 14-16, he said. “The key issue which Greece wants to raise at the talks is the gas supply issues,” Babayev told reporters. He said Turkey would be ready to pipe Azeri gas on to Europe this summer. Azeri gas is seen as an important new source of energy for Europe as the continent is wary of its growing reliance on Russian gas. Azerbaijan’s top gas field is the giant Shakh Deniz deposit, led by BP and Statoil, which have already presold most of their first phase output to Turkey and Georgia. The two majors have said they will not have enough gas to start large-scale exports to southern Europe via Turkish territory before 2012, when Shakh Deniz is due to boost output. Turkey last year delayed putting on stream a $300 million, 285-kilometer gas pipeline linking it to Greece but said it should be commissioned before 2008.

Bosnia will sell a majority stake in its sole aluminium plant in a public tender that opens next week, authorities said yesterday. The 88 percent stake in Aluminij Mostar was valued at about 77 million euros, said the privatization agency of Bosnia’s Muslim Croat half. In order to qualify for the tender, potential buyers would have to make commitments to maintain current employee and production levels, as well as to settle the deal with a cash payment. Aluminij Mostar, which has almost 1,000 workers, is Bosnia’s leading exporter. Last year the company exported 121,000 tons of metal worth about 240 million euros. The tender will be open from March 5 to April 23. Since its 1992-1995 war, Bosnia has been split into two independent entities, the Muslim-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska. (AFP)

Listed firm Byte Computer is extending its cooperation with Google, supplying Google Apps Premier in the Greek market. This is a company-oriented solution combining Google’s most popular services in one platform. Google Apps was first supplied in the local market last August as a free service, including Gmail, Google calendar, instant messaging and other applications.