Greece saw deposit inflows in March amid Cypriot crisis

Greek bank deposits rose by more than 1.5 billion euros in March despite a banking crisis in Cyprus that triggered fears of deposit outflows in other indebted southern European economies, the country's central bank chief said on Wednesday.

All bank deposits in Greece are fully protected regardless of amount, George Provopoulos told parliament.

He also said he was optimistic that Greek lenders Alpha Bank and Piraeus Bank would be able to raise enough capital from investors to remain in private hands after their planned recapitalization.

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos)