Bounced cheques in Cyprus near €100,000 in September

The number of bounced cheques in Cyprus rose by 47.8 per cent in September 2026, reaching 34 cheques worth €97,622, compared with 23 cheques valued at €74,655 a year earlier, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC). The figures showed that the total value of bounced cheques increased by 30.8 per cent year-on-year, while the number of cases also rose from August, when 27 cheques worth €27,092 were recorded. In particular, the value of bounced cheques in September was more than three times the August figure. According to the central bank, the September cases were recorded on the preliminary list of the Central Information Register (CIR) for issuers of bounced cheques. A total of nine persons were added to the preliminary list during the month, comprising seven legal entities and two individuals. Despite the monthly increase, the figures for the first nine months of 2026 showed an overall decline in both the number and value of bounced cheques compared with the same period last year. Between January and September, 162 bounced cheques worth €413,203 were recorded, compared with 184 cheques valued at €440,146 in the corresponding period of 2025. This represents a 12 per cent decline in the number of cheques and a 6.1 per cent reduction in their combined value. Meanwhile, registrations of persons in the CIR increased during September, reaching 18, including seven legal entities, two individuals and nine individuals controlling legal entities. For the January-to-September period, the number of persons registered in the CIR reached 104, up from 87 a year earlier, representing an increase of 19.5 per cent.