MILAN, March 21 (Reuters) - Global fintech group ION has

proposed a 2 billion euro ($2.2 billion) investment project to

the Greek government to build a research hub in Athens' Attica

peninsula, a person close to the matter said.

Founded in London in 1999 by Italian businessman Andrea

Pignataro, ION supplies software and data to financial

institutions, supporting, for example, their trading and risk

management activities.

The project would concentrate roughly 3,000 ION employees in

its new Greek hub, mostly software developers who currently work

at the group's various research and development (R&D) centres

across the world, the person said.

The firm of Italian architectRenzo Piano, famous in Greece

for designing the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

that houses the National Library of Greece and the Greek

National Opera, would be responsible for the project, which

would include a park, sports centres and schools.

Reforms pursued by Greece after the global financial crisis

of 2008-2009 have spurred foreign direct investment (FDI) in

recent years.

The Greek economy rebounded quickly after the global

pandemic and the number of FDI projects jumped by 57%

year-on-year in 2022, against a 1% increase for Europe as a

whole, according to consultancy EY, with net inflows reaching a

record high of $8.4 billion.

Microsoft ( MSFT ) is currently building a datacentre region

in eastern Attica.

In December, Greece approved measures that introduce tax

incentives to attract foreign capital and promote innovation.

ION is discussing its project with the Greek government, the

person said, adding feasibility studies were being carried out.

News of the project was first reported by Greek online

publication Capital.

($1 = 0.9213 euros)

(Editing by Kim Coghill)