Cyprus Business Now: banks, funds, housing, CySEC, housing, payments

Eurobank S.A. spent almost €5.88m repurchasing more than 1.3m of its own shares on Euronext Athens between August 17, 2026 and August 21, 2026. The lender announced the acquisition on Monday, as part of its ongoing share buyback programme approved by shareholders at the annual general meeting on April 28, 2026. Framework for the buyback was formally established in accordance with the relevant article of the applicable law and subsequently endorsed by a board of directors resolution passed on April 29, 2026. Cypriot investment firm Demetra Holdings Plc repurchased 3,396 of its own shares on August 21, 2026, as part of an authorised share buyback programme. The share acquisition was executed after previous authorisation was granted by shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting on June 30, 2026. The transaction was carried out on behalf of the company through the Cyprus Investment & Securities Corporation Ltd (CISCO). A homebuyer in Cyprus would need to hand over every cent of the country’s average salary for almost two years simply to raise a standard deposit. For the typical worker, the wait would be considerably longer. A new analysis by BestBrokers estimates that an average-sized home of 108 square metres costs €305,296 in Cyprus. A buyer providing 20 per cent would therefore need €61,059 before taking out a mortgage for the remaining amount. With average gross monthly income estimated at €2,603, the deposit is equal to 23 months of pay. The calculation assumes, however, that the buyer saves their full salary before tax and spends nothing on rent, food, electricity, transport and other household costs. The income estimate is almost identical to the latest wage data, which placed average gross earnings at €2,601 during the first quarter of 2026. However, the average is pulled upwards by higher earners and does not reflect what most workers receive. Cyprus is opening a new route to finance for farmers whose investment plans have already been approved, as the government looks to turn its €454 million agricultural programme into viable projects and breathe new life into rural communities. Agriculture Minister Christos Senekis said the new financial instrument had been created to tackle the liquidity problems producers often face after securing approval for an investment. Farmers whose projects are approved under Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027 will be able to approach participating banks and seek funding on more favourable terms. Speaking at an event in Mamonia on Saturday, Senekis said supporting the primary sector and revitalising the countryside remained central government priorities. Greek-owned tankers are disappearing from tracking screens as they cross the Strait of Hormuz at night under US military escort, then resurfacing in the Gulf of Oman to transfer crude to ships waiting outside the conflict zone. The shuttle system has allowed Gulf producers to keep more oil moving despite Iranian attacks and the failure of negotiations to restore normal navigation. It has also created a widening gap between the traffic visible on commercial tracking platforms and the amount of oil believed to be passing through the strait. The Greek-owned very large crude carrier Kiku provides one example. After loading crude at Qatar’s Mesaieed terminal in late July, the tanker sailed towards Hormuz before its Automatic Identification System, known as AIS, stopped transmitting near Dubai on July 31. Its signal reappeared the following morning off Fujairah, on the other side of the strait, where it anchored alongside another Greek-owned tanker, Nave Electron, for a ship-to-ship transfer. The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) announced on Monday that it has reached a €100,000 settlement with RoboMarkets Ltd over possible breaches of investment services and financial markets rules. CySEC said the settlement concerns possible violations of the Investment Services and Activities and Regulated Markets Law of 2017 and EU Regulation 600/2014. The settlement relates to a review of RoboMarkets’ compliance between June 2023 and June 28, 2024. Cyprus has awarded Viva.com a contract to provide electronic transaction processing services for the state, bringing a four-year procurement process marked by multiple legal challenges and appeals to a close. The contract, awarded by the Treasury of the Republic of Cyprus, covers electronic payments made by citizens and businesses to the state, with the total value of transactions managed through the system expected to exceed €1.5 billion annually. Under the agreement, Viva.com will establish a multi-channel electronic transaction processing infrastructure for the Cypriot state, allowing citizens to make payments using both cards and account-to-account (A2A) methods. According to an announcement published on Monday, the company will serve as the processing engine behind Cyprus’s Payment Gateway (PGW) through the gov.cy platform, centralising electronic payments and allowing citizens to settle obligations to government departments and services through a single platform. Cyprus authorities were recently alerted to 65 non-food products posing potential health and safety risks, the Consumer Protection Service said on Monday. The products were identified in the markets of various EU member states before being reported through the European Union’s Safety Gate rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products. The reported products span a wide range of categories, including toys and childcare items, electrical appliances and equipment, cosmetics, as well as clothing and footwear. It also includes motor vehicles, personal protective equipment, sports and leisure products, kitchenware, chemicals, furniture, construction products, and fireworks. The risks identified include drowning, electric shock, fire, burns and injuries, as well as chemical hazards, cutting risks and potential damage to eyesight and hearing. Cyprus had collected and spent exactly €5.43 billion by the end of July, according to a report from the Treasury, putting the execution of state revenue and expenditure at the same level halfway through the 2026 budget year. The figures show that while the government has so far maintained a balanced pace between money coming into state coffers and money being spent, the composition of both revenue and expenditure points to several important trends in the economy and public finances. Overall revenue execution stood at 50 per cent of the annual budget by the end of July, while expenditure execution was slightly lower at 47 per cent. In absolute terms, however, both stood at €5.43bn. Cypriot travel company Top Kinisis Travel Public Ltd announced on Monday that its board of directors will come together next month to examine its financial performance for the first half of the year. The board of directors is scheduled to meet on September 23, 2026, to review the unaudited consolidated financial results covering the first six months of 2026. The upcoming autumn meeting follows the company’s annual general meeting held at its head offices in Strovolos on June 11, 2026. During that summer gathering, shareholders unanimously approved the consolidated balance sheet and the profit and loss account for the financial year ended December 31, 2025, after reviewing the independent auditors’ report. Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has become the official airline partner of Mountain Games Cyprus 2026, boosting European accessibility for the flagship sporting event taking place next month. The coordinator of the European project, the MountMed Institute, announced the new collaboration on Monday, as part of ongoing efforts to increase international participation in the scheme, which is funded by the Erasmus+ Sport Programme. Under the agreement, Wizz Air will support the travel of athletes, volunteers, researchers, and visitors from ten European countries participating in the project’s consortium by using its extensive route network. The initiative aims to make it easier for continental participants to reach Cyprus ahead of the main public event, scheduled to take place in the Troodos Mountains from September 23 to September 26, 2026, as part of the 12th European Week of Sport. International gaming giant Allwyn AG repurchased 496,449 of its own shares for an aggregate consideration of €6,972,174.76 between August 17, 2026 and August 21, 2026. The company formally announced the share acquisition on Monday, as part of its ongoing share buyback programme originally disclosed on June 4, 2026. All open-market transactions were executed on Euronext Athens throughout the five-day trading period. The buying spree commenced on August 17, 2026, when the firm acquired 80,676 shares valued at €1,107,641.14, representing an average purchase price of €13.7295 per share. Alpha Bank S.A. repurchased 1,010,005 of its own shares for a total consideration of €4,672,857.51 between August 14, 2026 and August 21, 2026. The bank publicly announced the financial transactions on Monday, following up on its previous corporate update issued on July 31, 2026. The acquisitions were carried out under the framework of the bank’s share buyback programme, which was formally approved by a resolution passed at the annual general meeting of shareholders on June 26, 2026. Implementation of the approved programme officially commenced on August 14, 2026, when the first round of open-market transactions began. Reviving Cyprus’ villages requires more than new infrastructure, with investment in social life, culture and opportunities for young people equally important to their survival, Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis said. Speaking at Akapnou’s 36th annual community event over the weekend, Hadjimanolis said the government recognised the crucial role of rural communities in preserving the island’s cultural identity and strengthening social cohesion. She said the Christodoulides administration would continue pursuing policies that support regional development, improve living standards and create prospects for younger generations. The aim, she added, was to give young people genuine reasons to remain in their communities while encouraging those who had already left to return. Her comments come as the government pushes ahead with a series of investments in rural Cyprus. In April, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou outlined a three-year €91m regeneration programme covering urban and rural communities across the island. Investors should focus less on whether to use funds, direct investments or co-investments and more on whether they have the expertise and infrastructure to manage private-market investments themselves, according to Nikolas Charalambous, managing director of KENDRIS Capital Limited. Writing for the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA), Charalambous said the growing accessibility of private markets had prompted more investors to question whether professionally managed funds remained the best way to gain exposure. “Why should I invest through a fund instead of investing directly or participating in co-investments?” is a question he said he encountered regularly from entrepreneurs, family offices and institutional investors. Direct investment can appear attractive, particularly because it offers greater control, potentially lower fees and the ability to decide exactly where capital is deployed. India’s largest airline is preparing its biggest push yet beyond the domestic market, with new long-range aircraft and direct services to Europe at the heart of its plans. IndiGo made its name flying millions of passengers across India. Now the country’s largest airline wants to take them much further. The airline expects to carry 200 million passengers a year by 2030, up from 123 million, while growing its fleet from 441 to more than 550 aircraft. It also wants international services to account for nearly 40 per cent of its capacity, compared with approximately 25 per cent today. The strategy was detailed by Nomad Lawyer and also featured on Hermes Flight Mode, drawing on figures released during IndiGo’s June investor update. Daily departures are expected to rise from about 2,200 to roughly 3,000, while overall capacity, measured in available seat kilometres, is forecast to almost double from 172 billion to approximately 300 billion.