Greece to Accelerate €4.7bn Early Debt Repayments by End‑2026

Greece announced a plan to make two early public‑debt repayments totalling €4.7 billion before the end of 2026. The first payment of €2.5 billion will retire loans from the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) by the end of October, followed by a €2.2 billion bond redemption on 15 December using cash held by the country’s four systemic banks.

The government says the moves will improve Greece’s debt profile, lower future financing needs and help bring the debt‑to‑GDP ratio down to about 136.8 % by the end of 2026, potentially allowing Italy to overtake Greece as the euro‑area’s most indebted nation. Cash reserves are projected to exceed €30 billion by the end of 2026, and the country aims to cut public debt below 100 % of GDP between 2033 and 2034. The repayments follow an earlier €6.94 billion early settlement in June and come ahead of a new round of sovereign‑rating reviews by DBRS, Moody’s and S&P.