Foreign investment funds seek opportunities
Foreign investment funds mostly from the United States managing billions of dollars are seeking opportunities in Greek markets that are poised for complete liberalization, with the more adventurous among them already investigating potential investments in the education sector, with an eye on the official accreditation of private universities.
One of the funds to have visited Athens manages an investment capital of $5 billion, while research has shown that Greece could reap up to 2 billion euros per year if it invests in increasing the competitiveness of tertiary education.
Funds have also shown an interest in other forms of services such as legal and transport. Major auditing companies have been flooded by information requests from foreign funds asking about the present and future state of the Greek economy, and particularly about the legal and tax status.
Interest also focuses on real estate and on islands, but that quickly wanes when investors discover the legal and zoning problems they would face.
