Piraeus the 19th century, after Athens' declaration as the capital of Greece. In the modern era, Piraeus is a large city, bustling with activity and an integral part of Athens, acting as home to the country's biggest harbour and bearing all the characteristics of a huge marine and commercial-industrial centre. The port of Piraeus is the chief port in Greece, the largest passenger port in Europe and the second largest in the world, servicing about 20 million passengers annually. With a throughput of 1.4 million TEUs, Piraeus is placed among the top ten ports in container traffic in Europe and the
Piraeus Bank c.30k). As of March 2018, the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund holds 26% of outstanding common shares, while the remaining 74% is held by the private sector (legal entities and individuals). Piraeus Bank is a universal bank providing various banking services. Historically a bank supportive of SMEs it now also possesses particular know-how in the areas of agricultural banking, consumer and mortgage credit, green banking, capital markets, investment banking, leasing and electronic banking. Piraeus Bank and its subsidiaries form the Piraeus Bank Group. A group of shipowners in Piraeus founded "Banque du Pirée" (Piraeus Bank; BP) in 1916 to finance trade.