BUSINESS: 327 PRACTICES
Alpha Bank Group
The Alpha Bank Group is one of the leading Groups of the financial sector in Greece. It offers a wide range of high-quality financial products and services in the domestic and international market and has one of the highest capital adequacy ratios in Europe.
As part of the government initiative "Astypalaia: Smart & Sustainable Island" which aims to make Astypalaia a model island in the field of green energy throughout the Mediterranean with a neutral climate footprint, Alpha Bank is creating a product specifically for the island's residents, which wish to acquire an ecological means of transport for their movements.
Residents of the island of Astypalea.
Start 2/6/21 – ongoing
As the only Bank with a presence on the island of Astypalaia, Alpha Bank is an integral member of the local community, contributing to the initiatives of the authorities to create a model island of clean mobility. With the Consumer Loan Alpha Green Solutions - Electric Mobility, Alpha Bank supports the e-astypalea State Action which provides permanent residents of Astypalea with a subsidy of up to 12,000 euros for the purchase of an electric vehicle. The grants are provided in accordance with the standards of "Move Electric", while this initiative is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to Climate Action and the development of sustainable solutions for cities and communities, as it gives the residents of Astypalea the possibility to be financed to choose an ecological mode of transport and to focus on reducing the adverse effects resulting from the use of conventional vehicles. It is worth noting that Alpha Bank, through this special product, offers the possibility of granting loans with particularly preferential pricing, for any permanent resident of the island who wishes to acquire an ecological means of transport for their movements.
The e-astypalea action marks the transition of the islands to electrification. In Astypalea, an integrated plan is being implemented that includes electric vehicle travel, charging network infrastructure, the introduction of innovative vehicle sharing services and the use of Renewable Energy Sources, to charge all the island's electric vehicles. A key objective of the project is the gradual replacement of the existing internal combustion engine vehicle fleet with electric vehicles: from micro-mobility vehicles to passenger cars, commercial vehicles and light commercial vehicles.
In total, around 1,500 internal combustion engine vehicles will be replaced with around 1,000 electric cars and, in this context, a total of 60 publicly accessible charging points will be implemented on the island.
The results of the initiative are recorded by the University of Strathclyde and the University of the Aegean collaborating on the research project "Smart & Sustainable Island", in the form of a "living" laboratory, in order to achieve the following:
Astypalea
Hellenic Republic - Volkswagen Group
Alpha Bank is the only Bank that has a branch on the island of Astypalea. Its executives on the island actively participate in all the actions that take place to support the Program.
Through the support of the e-astypalea project, Alpha Bank demonstrates its commitment to a sustainable future, through environmental protection, tackling climate change and conserving natural resources.
At the same time, it contributes to the support of the local community, which is part of its strategy and business model. This support is carried out through the strengthening of entrepreneurship, while at the same time the island will be a pole of attraction for more visitors, but also for new permanent residents.
