Nikos Stathopoulos, BC Partners' chairman for Europe, is relocating from Britain to Greece, where the buyout firm plans to open an Athens office. The move comes as Greece introduces tax incentives to attract fund managers, headlined by a reduced 5% rate on carried interest for qualifying relocating managers. The bigger question is whether the incentives will bring more private-equity investment into the country.

A relocation the firm frames as deals, not tax

Bankingnews.gr reported Stathopoulos' move on November 5, citing sources close to the matter as well as a corporate filing. BC Partners supervises more than $40 billion in funds and intends to raise additional capital to invest in Greece.

According to a person familiar with the firm, the relocation was initiated because of specific business goals rather than any tax incentives from Athens. Neither Stathopoulos nor BC Partners has commented on the issue.

BC Partners already invests in Greece through Pet City, a company specializing in pet retail, and Alphabet, which provides a range of education services. Establishing an office in the Greek capital would strengthen the firm's presence in the country, although the office itself has yet to open. For now, the concrete markers to watch are whether the Athens office opens as planned and whether the additional capital earmarked for Greek investments is actually raised and deployed.

What Law 5313/2026 offers relocating managers

Under Greek Law 5313/2026, also detailed in Chambers' Greece law and practice guide, carried interest—the share of investment income allocated to fund managers—is taxed at a rate of 15%. Managers who change their tax residence and meet certain conditions are eligible for a reduced rate of 5% for the first seven years of their new tax residence, beginning from the year they apply.

One important condition applies: the manager's Greek employer must incur at least €3 million in operational costs in Greece each year. Monthly expenditure of €250,000 meets the requirement over a full year, and expenses are prorated for shorter qualifying periods, according to EY. In practice, that threshold ties the reduced rate to a genuine operating footprint in Greece rather than a residency change on paper alone.

To qualify for the 5% carried-interest rate, managers must comply with employment and tax-residency regulations and submit an application via myAADE. The legislation also provides an advantage for foreign funds qualifying under the scheme: managing funds from Greece does not, by itself, make those funds Greek tax residents.

Britain kept its carried-interest regime in place

The United Kingdom has classified carried interest as trading income subject to Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance since April 6, 2026. Under HMRC regulations, 72.5% of eligible net profits is treated as taxable income. That 72.5 figure is not a percentage rate; it is a multiplication factor used to determine how much taxable income must be reported. The UK government's autumn budget of 2026 contained no new regulations concerning the taxation of carried interest.

The contrast with Greece is therefore not a simple headline-rate comparison: the UK taxes a defined share of qualifying profits at standard rates, while Greece applies a flat 5% to eligible relocating managers for a bounded seven-year window. With the UK's carried-interest rules staying in place, the new Greek incentives offer an additional option for fund managers weighing a move elsewhere. Hedge-fund manager Chris Rokos has reportedly left the UK for Greece. His departure has sparked interest in Athens, but it remains unclear whether other professionals will follow him.

Fundraising favors Europe, but those flows are not Greek flows

European private equity and venture capital funds raised €68 billion in the first half of 2026, up 6% year on year. Buyout fundraising reached €54 billion, up from €42 billion a year earlier. Actual investment, however, fell 35% to €43 billion. That divergence frames the backdrop for Greece's pitch: capital is being committed at the European level even as putting it to work in deals has become harder.

In a related survey, 43% of investors said they expected to increase European allocations because of US trade policy, while 30% expected to reduce US exposure. These are Europe-wide figures, not evidence of fresh fund inflows into Greece.

Binance's Greek bet is a separate signal

Greece is drawing interest beyond private equity. Cryptopolitan reported that Binance sought a Greek license for its EU expansion, citing talent and security.

Binance's decision was unrelated to carried-interest taxes. Still, both developments point to Athens' ambitions as a financial-services hub. How those ambitions develop is what to watch next—through further office openings, licensing decisions, and whether more fund managers change their tax residence to Greece.