Cyprus seeks to sharpen investment pitch as technology reshapes global economy

Cyprus will bring together senior government officials, international investors and technology executives in Nicosia on September 9 for a forum examining how technological and geopolitical changes are altering the country’s investment prospects. The EY Cyprus Future Realised Forum 2026 will be held under the auspices of Invest Cyprus, with President Nikos Christodoulides due to deliver the opening address. The event comes as technology increasingly becomes part of the investment equation, with access to artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, digital infrastructure and other advanced capabilities becoming more important to companies deciding where to expand. That shift is reflected in the participation of John Josephakis, Global Vice President, HPC, AI & Supercomputing at NVIDIA, and Constantinos Kattirdjis, Director, Enterprise Partner Lead at Microsoft. Their involvement gives the forum a stronger technology focus than previous editions and places AI and computing infrastructure alongside more traditional discussions about investment, capital and economic policy. For Cyprus, the broader question is whether the country can maintain and improve its appeal to international investors as technological change and geopolitical uncertainty reshape investment decisions. The forum’s main theme, “Cyprus Future Realised: Bridge. Accelerate. Grow.”, will be explored through discussions involving government, business and the international investment community. Cyprus’ investment performance will also be assessed through new findings from the EY Cyprus Attractiveness Survey, which examines investment trends in Europe and Cyprus. The survey is expected to provide the basis for discussion about Cyprus’ standing as an investment destination, the impact of technological and geopolitical developments, and what more can be done to attract foreign direct investment. One panel will focus directly on Cyprus’ investment attractiveness amid technological and geopolitical changes, while a second will examine the country’s position through the survey findings. The programme also has a strong European policy component, with Jan Peter Balkenende, Minister of State and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and Bruno Maçães, former Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs, among the speakers. Energy, Commerce and Industry Minister Michalis Damianos will represent the government, while Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki will also participate. Invest Cyprus chief executive Marios Tannousis will join the discussions, bringing experience from the financial sector, investment, capital markets and business development. The financial and corporate sectors will be represented by Bank of Cyprus Executive Director of Finance and Executive Member of the Board of Directors Eliza Livadiotou and Employers Federation (Oev) president George Pantelides. EY Cyprus executives Ronald Attard, George Tziortzis and Stelios Demetriou will also take part. The event is expected to attract government officials, European institutional representatives, investors, senior executives, financial organisations, business associations and policy analysts. More than 600 people have attended previous editions of the forum, according to the organisers. Rather than focusing solely on Cyprus’ existing investment strengths, this year’s event is set to address how those strengths need to evolve as technology becomes a more significant determinant of competitiveness. The presence of senior executives from NVIDIA and Microsoft is particularly relevant to that discussion, as countries increasingly compete for investment linked to AI, digital services and the infrastructure needed to support them. The forum will also examine the role of data in shaping investment strategy, linking the findings of the attractiveness survey with broader discussions about Cyprus’ economic prospects. For Invest Cyprus and the wider business community, the central issue is how to translate Cyprus’ existing position as an investment destination into opportunities in sectors being shaped by rapid technological change. The event will therefore bring together international technology expertise with Cyprus’ government, financial sector and business community as the country seeks to strengthen its pitch to international investors.