The message that Greece’s strong ties with Romania “go beyond business activities and extend to culture” was sent by the Management of Alpha Bank Group, which visited Bucharest on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition “TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN“. The exhibition, which is organized by the Bank’s Numismatic Collection together with the Group’s subsidiary, Alpha Bank Romania, and the National Bank of Romania Banca Naţională a României (National Bank of Romania), is housed in the Museum of the National Bank of Romania and will be open to the public from 22 September 2023 to 1 March 2024.

Snapshots from the tour of the Bank’s Management and the Ambassador of Greece to Romania, Mrs Sofia Grammata, at the Exhibition of the Numismatic Collection

The inauguration event, hosted by the Governor of Banca Naţională a României, Mugur Isărescu, was attended by, among others, the Ambassador of Greece to Romania, Sophia Grammata, the CEO of Alpha Bank Romania and General Manager of the International Network of the Group, S. Oprescu, as well as representatives of the Romanian business community. The aim of the exhibition is, on the one hand, to disseminate the ancient Greek culture and, on the other hand, to strengthen the ties, both economic and cultural, that link Greece and Romania. At the same time, through the rich material that accompanies the exhibits and the educational programs that take place in the framework of the Exhibition, the financial literacy of young people is enhanced, which is a key objective of the Group’s corporate responsibility actions. During their visit to Bucharest, the President of Alpha Bank, Vassilios Rapanos, the Group’s CEO, Vassilis Psaltis, the CFO Lazaros Papagarifallou, the General Manager Wholesale Banking, Yannis Emiris and the General Manager of Development and Innovation Spyros Filaretos visited corporate clients as well as the new offices of the Group’s subsidiary, Alpha Bank Romania, where they were informed about the growth prospects and investment opportunities presented by the country.

50 years of the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection

Celebrating 50 years of operation and contribution to Culture, Education and Society, Alpha Bank’s Numismatic Collection travelled for the first time to Romania, where the Bank has a strong and long-standing presence, in order to highlight the history of the coin from the time of its invention, its role as a work of art and as a decisive factor in the development of trade and intercultural relations between peoples. Through the exhibits, their descriptions and the material curated by the Bank’s Numismatic Collection, visitors will “travel” through the world of ancient Greece, learn about ancient Greek culture and how it influenced and shaped European civilisation as we know it today. At the same time, thanks to coins such as the silver drachma of Istrus and the silver octovol from ancient Kallatida, two ancient Greek colonies located in present-day Romania, visitors to the Exhibition will have the opportunity to learn about the ancient history of the country and its close relations with ancient Greece. The Exhibition is dedicated to the memory of the initiator and creator of the Alpha Bank’s Numismatic Collection, Yannis S. Kostopoulos, whose personal interest, love for culture and efforts to keep ancient Greek coins in their place contributed to making the Collection one of the largest and most important internationally.

• Where: The Museum of the National Bank of Romania, Bucharest
• When: 22.09.2023-01.03.2024
• Organised by: Alpha Bank and National Bank of Romania

It is worth noting that the Bank, true to its commitment to equal access to culture for all, presents in a section of the Exhibition the history of 10 important coins of the Collection in Braille.