Greece today: cardholders bore 62% of card-fraud losses, a planned 90% telework hiring subsidy, ΟΠΕΚΑ expected to pay on 30 October, and ΑΑΔΕ moves origin rulings online

Who pays for card fraud in Greece? Mostly the cardholder, the Bank of Greece says

The number of fraudulent card transactions in Greece fell 23% in the first half of 2026 compared with the first half of 2025, the Bank of Greece (Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος, Trapeza tis Ellados) says in its October 2026 Financial Stability Review.¹ΕΛ There were 154,186 fraudulent transactions in the first half of 2026, against 199,742 a year earlier, out of 1,438,297,328 card transactions worth €60,014,496,656 in total.¹² Fraud stayed at about 0.01% of transactions, or roughly one fraudulent transaction in every 9,300.¹⁵

The value of card fraud fell by less than the number: by 14%, to €10.6m in the first half of 2026 from €12.3m a year earlier.¹²⁴ The financial losses from fraud fell 16%, to €9.6m from €11.5m.¹ The Bank of Greece splits those losses by fault: cardholders bore 62%, the payment providers that accept card payments 30%, and the providers that issue cards 8%.¹ΕΛ²³ By our calculation, the cardholders' 62% of €9.6m comes to about €5.95m; Fortune Greece puts it at about €6m.¹²

Most fraud happened without the card being present. In the first half of 2026 there were 130,898 fraudulent card-not-present transactions, 21,180 at shop terminals (POS) and 2,108 at cash machines, and most of the remote cases were online, the review says.¹ By our calculation, card-not-present transactions were about 85% of all fraud cases.¹ Card-not-present fraud fell 26% in number and cash-machine fraud 24%.¹ Greek outlets picked up the figures on 24 and 25 October 2026.²³⁴ Our analysis of Greek house prices covers what the same review says about property.

Greece plans a 90% wage subsidy for remote hires in mountain areas, but it is not open yet

The labour ministry (Υπουργείο Εργασίας και Κοινωνικής Ασφάλισης, Ypourgeio Ergasias kai Koinonikis Asfalisis) says a new subsidised employment scheme will involve remote work, with 90% of the wage and social-security contributions paid for 12 months.¹⁵¹⁶¹⁷ The ministry set this out on 22 September 2026, after Labour Minister Niki Kerameus spoke to the television channel ANT1.¹⁵ The scheme will run through ΔΥΠΑ (Δημόσια Υπηρεσία Απασχόλησης, Dimosia Ypiresia Apascholisis), the public employment service, Kerameus told alfavita.gr on 16 October 2026, where she said it covers 1,000 new jobs with the 90% subsidy paid "up to a limit" (our translation).¹⁶ The figure of 1,000 places comes from her interviews and several outlets, not from the ministry's own write-up.^16171815

Mononews and Dnews report that the scheme is for unemployed people aged 18 and over who live in mountain or remote municipalities.¹⁸¹⁹ Mononews and Έθνος (Ethnos) report that they must be registered with ΔΥΠΑ, and that the first phase will focus on 38 very small mountain municipalities, which have not been named.²⁰²¹ The employer can be based anywhere, for example in Athens or Thessaloniki, and the worker need not be physically present, Dnews and Aftodioikisi.gr report.¹⁹²² The ministry's headline mentions "mountain and island areas", but its account of the minister's remarks concerns mountain and remote areas.¹⁵

There is nothing to apply for yet. As of 25 October 2026 there was no public call, no joint ministerial decision (ΚΥΑ, Koini Ypourgiki Apofasi) and no text in the Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ, Fyllo Efimeridas tis Kyverniseos) for the scheme, by our checks; Mononews reports that a ΚΥΑ and a ΔΥΠΑ announcement must come before businesses can apply.¹⁵²⁰

When does ΟΠΕΚΑ pay October 2026 benefits?

ΟΠΕΚΑ (Οργανισμός Προνοιακών Επιδομάτων και Κοινωνικής Αλληλεγγύης, Organismos Pronoiakon Epidomaton kai Koinonikis Allilengyis), the welfare benefits agency, is expected to pay October 2026 benefits on Friday 30 October 2026, Greek outlets report.⁸⁹ ΟΠΕΚΑ had not announced the date on its website by the morning of 25 October 2026, and the outlets present it as an expectation.¹⁰⁸⁹ They list the Minimum Guaranteed Income (Ελάχιστο Εγγυημένο Εισόδημα, Elachisto Engyimeno Eisodima), the housing allowance, welfare (προνοιακά) benefits, the birth allowance and the pension for uninsured older people.⁸⁹ The outlets expect the money to reach accounts from the afternoon of Thursday 29 October 2026, after 17:00 depending on the bank.⁸⁹ Our guide to ΟΠΕΚΑ payment dates is updated when ΟΠΕΚΑ confirms.

Binding rulings on the origin of goods: ΑΑΔΕ moves applications to myAADE

ΑΑΔΕ (Ανεξάρτητη Αρχή Δημοσίων Εσόδων, Anexartiti Archi Dimosion Esodon), the tax and customs authority, announced on 23 October 2026 decision Α.1219/2026 by its governor, Giorgos Pitsilis, which digitises the issuing of Binding Origin Information (Δεσμευτικές Πληροφορίες Καταγωγής, Desmeftikes Plirofories Katagogis), Capital.gr and Liberal.gr report.¹¹¹² Businesses apply on myAADE under «Τα αιτήματά μου > Τελωνεία > Καταγωγή > Δεσμευτικής Πληροφορίας Καταγωγής» (My requests, then Customs, then Origin, then Binding Origin Information).¹¹¹²

A binding origin decision tells a business in advance the origin of a product for customs purposes, preferential or non-preferential.¹¹¹² It is valid for three years and binds both the holder and the customs authorities of every EU member state, the reports say.¹¹¹² The decision sets time limits for accepting an application, checking it and issuing the ruling, but neither report gives the number of days.¹¹¹²

ΔΥΠΑ career day in Ioannina on Saturday 7 November 2026

ΔΥΠΑ holds its 59th Career Day in Ioannina on Saturday 7 November 2026, from 10:00 to 18:00, at the Du Lac Congress Center & Spa.¹³¹⁴ More than 30 companies will recruit for more than 700 jobs across sectors and at all levels of education.¹³¹⁴ Entry is free; visitors can register in advance on eventora.com or on the day.¹³¹⁴

Clocks went back an hour on Sunday 25 October 2026

Summer time in Greece ended on Sunday 25 October 2026, when clocks went back one hour, from 04:00 to 03:00, under EU Directive 2000/84/EC, as the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (Υπουργείο Υποδομών και Μεταφορών, Ypourgeio Ypodomon kai Metaforon) had announced.⁶⁷