Akis Skertsos refutes claims regarding low Greek bank deposits

Greek Minister of State Akis Skertsos has challenged the claim that "7 out of 10 Greeks have deposits below €1,000," labeling it a "statistical trap." He clarified that existing data from the Hellenic Deposit and Investment Guarantee Fund (TEKE) records deposits per bank account rather than per unique individual. Because a single person can hold multiple accounts across different banks, the number of recorded depositors (31.7 million by late 2025) significantly exceeds the country's population of approximately 10.5 million.

Skertsos noted that mixing up the number of bank accounts with the number of individual people misrepresents the actual economic situation. According to official figures, household deposits in Greece have grown significantly. From December 2018 to December 2025, deposits from natural persons rose from €106.4 billion to €148.7 billion, representing a 39.8% increase.

This growth is not limited to large fortunes; a substantial portion of the increase occurred in the €5,000 to €100,000 range. Specifically, the €5,000–€50,000 bracket saw a €16 billion increase, while the €50,000–€100,000 bracket rose by €7.9 billion. Skertsos concluded that "the Greece of 2026 is not the Greece of €1,000 bank deposits."