Ioannis Papafis

Ioannis Papafis or Giovanni di Niccolò Pappaffy (; 1792 – 1886) was a Greek businessman and philanthropist, prominent for helping in the funding of the Greek War of Independence and in financing crucial sectors of independent Greece after its successful conclusion. He was among the primary shareholders of the National Bank of Greece, donated to the University of Athens, and the Greek Orthodox Church through the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

Biography

Papafis was born to a local Greek family in the city of Thessaloniki in 1792.

Son of Nikolaos Papafis and Tomae Anastassiou, when he turned 16 he moved to Smyrna to work with his father, a merchant, who died just two years later. His uncle Ioannis Anastasiou (Giovanni D'Anastasy, 1780/85–1859/60), prosperous merchant-entrepreneur and general consul of Sweden in Alexandria, brought him to Egypt and then sent him to Malta to open a new branch of the family business.

In Malta, a major logistics hub during the Napoleonic Wars, Papafis managed the grain trade and learned English and Italian, besides French. He was chaperoned by the British merchant Jameson Hunter and recognised a denizen of Malta on 13 March 1818, with the right to a British passport. In 1822 Pappafis was appointed a public broker for Malta, work from which he retired 15 years later in 1837 due to health concerns. He continued to deal with financial investments in European stock exchanges, advocating for trade and publishing pamphlets and newspaper articles. In 1858 he was appointed an honorary member of the Stock Exchange by the Chamber of Commerce in Malta.

Excluding the above periods, the orphanage is in continuous operation until now. As per Papafis' request, as stated in his will, the institution also provides training in a number of professions to help its graduates establish themselves professionally. By the same will, the institution is placed under the administration of the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Thessaloniki.