We are joined in our latest edition of BM Talks by Alex Patelis, who served as Chief Economic Adviser to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis between 2019-2024. Alex also worked in investment banks including as Managing Director of Global Research at Merrill Lynch and studied under Ben Bernanke for his PhD from Princeton. 

We asked:

• Ten years ago, Greece voted No in a referendum to a bailout, only for the new Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to perform the exact opposite three weeks later. What happened?
• Greece is now running a primary budget surplus with investment grade debt. How was this achieved? 
• What lessons can the rest of the world take from this?
• What does the German "Zeitenwende" mean for the EU?
• Is this the end for the dominance of the US Dollar?
• What advice do you have for Scott Bessent, who also moved from the world of finance into politics?
• What do you think of populism?