A cross-border team from global law firm DLA Piper advised its long-standing client, Optima bank, a leading Greek financial institution, on its inaugural issuance of EUR200 million Additional Tier 1 (AT1) Notes in the international capital markets.
The Notes have been listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and admitted to trading on its Euro MTF market, and carry a fixed coupon of 6.75%. The issuance attracted strong demand from more than 150 international institutional investors, with the final order book reaching EUR2.2 billion, representing an oversubscription of over 11 times. It is the most oversubscribed AT1 issuance of 2026 and the highest demand ever recorded for an AT1 issuance by a Greek bank.
The DLA Piper team that supporting Optima bank was led by partners Orestis Omran (Litigation & Regulatory, Brussels, and Head of the firm’s Greece Country Group) and Louise Hennessey (Finance (DCM), London). Supporting them was lawyer Elina Bitzika (Litigation & Regulatory, Brussels) and Krzysztof Stefanowicz (Finance, Warsaw).
The firm also advised Optima Bank on the first update of its EMTN programme (launched in 2025), including the upsize of the programme to EUR1 billion, further supporting the bank’s funding strategy and access to international capital markets.
DLA Piper’s Debt Capital Markets team advises on the issuance of investment grade, high-yield, convertible and exchangeable debt securities, eurobonds, debt issuance, commercial paper and MTN programmes.
Commenting on the significance of the placement, Orestis Omran said: “This transaction represents a significant milestone for Optima bank, underscoring strong international investor confidence and marking an important step in the bank’s continued development in the international capital markets. It is a pleasure to continue to support the Optima Bank team as they further strengthen their presence in the international capital markets and execute on their strategic funding objectives.”
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