Hygeia

A large healthcare group from the United Arab Emirates is in talks with the Hellenic Healthcare Group, which controls the hospitals Hygeia, Metropolitan Hospital, Mitera, Metropolitan General, Leto, Creta InterClinic, City Hospital in Kalamata, Apollonio and Areteio in Cyprus and many diagnostic centers.

US investment fund CVC Capital is rapidly evolving into the biggest foreign investor in Greece, as it is currently in negotiations for the acquisition of an 80% stake in Ethniki, Greece's biggest insurer, for about 450-460 million euros.

CVC Capital Partners, known in Greece mainly due to its acquisition of the Hygeia and Metropolitan hospitals, has announced that its subsidiary CVC Capital VII has agreed to acquire the activities of D-Marin, a company serving yachts in the Mediterranean and the United Arab Emirates, from Turkish group Dogus. That means CVC is now a partner of Lamda Development.

The governing board of the Hygeia group on Wednesday rejected an offer from the holdings company of Giorgos Apostolopoulos, owner of the Athens Medical Center, for the acquisition of a 29.62 percent stake in the healthcare group.

By Yiannis Papadoyiannis

Market experts expect the deal announced last week between the Piraeus Group and Marfin Investment Group to develop into a broader cooperation toward the merging of enterprises, aimed at creating stronger and more competitive firms.