Cyprus Business Now: Keo, banks, tourism, CySEC, property, fraud

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) published a new amending regulatory directive updating the anti-money laundering framework governing the registry of ultimate owners for express trusts and similar legal arrangements. The regulatory update, officially designated as Regulatory Administrative Act 243/2026, was enacted by the board of the financial watchdog to streamline compliance and access rules for the national beneficial ownership database. The measures exercise specific statutory powers granted to the regulator under section 61C of the primary Prevention and Suppression of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law, which has undergone multiple legislative updates between 2007 and 2025. Filipino seafarers and their families are being offered specialist workshops to manage the psychological pressures of constant connectivity, with Cyprus-based MHSS managing director Mariana Charalambous and clinical psychologist Karen Ibanez warning that problems at home increasingly follow crew members onboard. While improved internet access has become one of the industry’s greatest advances in crew welfare, allowing seafarers to remain in regular contact with loved ones throughout their contracts, MHSS psychologists say constant connectivity is also creating new psychological pressures that many families are unprepared for. In response, Mental Health Support Solutions (MHSS), a member of OneCare Group, has introduced digital communication hygiene workshops to help families develop healthier communication habits, decide which issues require immediate discussion and recognise which problems can wait until seafarers are in a position to respond. Europe’s worsening drought is already disrupting agriculture, inland transport and energy production, Morningstar DBRS has reported, with the warning carrying particular significance for water-stressed Cyprus and its climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture and tourism. In a new analysis of the effects of extreme weather during the summer of 2026, the credit ratings agency said successive heatwaves and below-average rainfall had produced widespread drought conditions and intensified existing water shortages across parts of Europe. Morningstar DBRS said droughts were becoming more frequent and severe globally, while research into the economic effects of extreme weather and natural disasters increasingly showed that drought was causing substantial financial damage. Larnaca led Cyprus’ property market during the second quarter of 2026, recording the strongest growth in apartments and offices, while also posting gains in houses and warehouses. The latest index from RICS and KPMG showed that prices moved higher across most districts and property categories. “During the second quarter of 2026, the Cyprus’ property market continued to demonstrate resilience, with positive price movements recorded across most districts and asset categories,” said Christophoros Anayiotos, KPMG board member and head of the real estate industry group. “Apartments remained the strongest-performing asset class, showing growth across all major districts, with Larnaca leading the market,” Anayiotos added, turning to residential property. “Housing values also recorded positive gains, particularly in Larnaca and Paphos, reflecting continued demand in the residential sector,” he said at the same time. Housing affordability in Cyprus is being driven not only by rising property prices, construction costs and interest rates, but also by the time it takes to secure planning and building permits, with delays potentially adding tens of thousands of euros to the cost of a new home. House prices in Cyprus rose by 3.4 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat, with the index now standing around 50 per cent above its 2015 level. The pressure is also being felt in the rental market, where Eurostat’s harmonised index for actual rents recorded a steady month-on-month increase during the first five months of 2026. According to the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat), the annual rate of rental increases accelerated from 2.5 per cent in January to 4.5 per cent in April 2026. The Paphos regional tourism board (Etap Paphos) has extended its domestic tourism campaign until mid-November after promotional activity generated more than 2.6 million impressions and reached over 335,000 potential visitors between May and August. The campaign, which is aimed at Cyprus’ permanent residents, has focused on promoting the Paphos district as a destination for holidays and short breaks, highlighting its natural attractions, beaches, food, events and outdoor activities. In a statement, the board said its strategy this year was centred on reminding permanent residents of Cyprus about the unique experiences available in Paphos, with promotional activity carried out through a range of digital channels. The campaign has included targeted advertising on Facebook and Instagram, alongside videos and photographs showcasing the district’s tourism products and experiences. The value of fraudulent payments in Cyprus rose 16 per cent year on year to almost €3.7 million during the second half of 2025, even as the number of cases fell 5 per cent to around 14,000, according to the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC). Despite the increase in value, payment fraud remained relatively low both in absolute terms and as a share of total transactions. Fraud rates for most payment instruments were also below the euro area average. The only exception was credit transfers measured by value, where the fraud rate in Cyprus was slightly higher than the corresponding euro area rate. E-money and card payments recorded the highest fraud rates overall, both in Cyprus and across the euro area. The CBC said the higher value of fraudulent transactions partly coincided with a broader expansion in payment activity in Cyprus, meaning some of the increase may reflect the growing amount of money moving through the country’s payment system. European financial technology provider payabl. has expanded its relationship with Visa to give merchants across the EU and UK access to real-time tools designed to resolve payment disputes and reduce costly chargebacks. The collaboration will see payabl. offer Visa’s Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) service, allowing merchants to automatically resolve disputes at the pre-dispute stage and potentially prevent chargebacks before they occur. The service also allows merchants to issue refunds virtually, which the companies said could help improve the customer experience while reducing the operational burden associated with disputes. The expanded relationship strengthens payabl.’s focus on giving merchants greater control and visibility across the full payments lifecycle. Visa’s post-purchase capabilities will be integrated directly into payabl.one, allowing merchants to manage disputes and monitor RDR activity through the same platform they use for online and in-person payments, multi-currency business accounts and payouts. Demetra Holdings Plc announced on Tuesday that it has repurchased 3,300 of its own shares through investment firm the Cyprus Investment & Securities Corp Ltd (CISCO). According to the announcement, the company executed the transactions on August 24, 2026, acquiring the shares at a uniform price of €1.43 per share. The buyback was carried out in accordance with authorisation granted during the company’s annual general meeting on June 30, 2026. The total purchase was completed across four individual transactions during the single trading session on August 24, 2026. The acquisitions comprised an initial larger tranche of 2,388 shares, followed by three smaller tranches of 294 shares, 291 shares, and 327 shares, all priced at €1.43 per share. Cypriot beverage company Keo plc announced on Tuesday that it has completed the payment of its interim dividend to beneficiary shareholders, overcoming previous software issues that threatened to delay the distribution. The completion follows the company’s prior warning on August 7, 2026, when management disclosed that technical issues with dividend calculation software could disrupt the payout timeline. Shareholders had previously approved the €1.69 million total dividend during the company’s annual general meeting on July 8, 2026, allocating 4 cents per fully paid share funded from 2024 profits held within the revenue reserve. Although management had aimed to resolve the technical hitch before an initial August 17, 2026 deadline, it had reassured investors that payments would be finalised no later than August 25, 2026. In line with terms established on July 9, 2026, the payout covers investors listed on the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) register on July 20, 2026, including those who acquired shares through off-market transfers by that date. Alpha Bank has completed the process of acquiring the remaining shares in Alpha Trust Holdings, giving the bank and parties acting alongside it 100 per cent ownership and voting rights in the company. The Greek bank said the procedure, which concluded on August 24, involved the acquisition of 69,324 remaining ordinary shares in Alpha Trust Holdings at a cash price of €20.20 per share. The €20.20 price was the same consideration offered by Alpha Bank under its earlier tender offer for the company. The completion of the process means that Alpha Bank and the parties acting in concert with it now hold all shares and voting rights in Alpha Trust Holdings. The acquisition was carried out through the legal procedure known as a squeeze-out, which allows an offeror that has reached the required ownership level following a takeover offer to acquire the remaining shares from shareholders. Technology company Logicom Public Limited announced on Tuesday that its board of directors has approved the appointment of Ioannis Kosmas Eirinarchos as a non-independent, non-executive board member, with immediate effect. Following the appointment, the board of directors decided during its meeting on August 25, 2026, to reconstitute its internal committees in accordance with the provisions of the Corporate Governance Code, with changes also taking effect on the same date. Under the approved committee structures, the Nomination Committee will be chaired by independent non-executive director Christoforos Hadjikyprianou, alongside executive non-independent director Varnavas Eirinarchos and independent non-executive director Giorgos Papaioannou. The Audit Committee is chaired by independent non-executive director Andreas Konstantinidis, with independent non-executive directors Giorgos Papaioannou and Neoclis Nicolaou serving as members alongside newly appointed non-executive non-independent member Ioannis Kosmas Eirinarchos. The Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) has accepted the listing of €50 million worth of new 13-week Republic of Cyprus government bills, with trading due to begin on Friday, August 28, 2026. The CSE said it had accepted the admission of 50,000 government bills from the eighth series of the 2026 issue, each with a nominal value of €1,000. The securities have a total nominal value of €50 million and will run from August 28 to November 27, 2026. The bills resulted from an auction held on August 24, 2026, the exchanged stated.