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Alpha Bank has increased its share capital to €654.35 million following the exercise of employee stock options in September 2026, bringing the total number of ordinary shares carrying voting rights to 2,256,383,615. The Greek lender’s revised capital structure was confirmed in a corporate announcement published this week, following a share capital increase approved by its board of directors on September 30, 2026, and subsequently registered with the General Commercial Regis

Cyprus recorded the European Union’s largest quarterly decline in government debt relative to gross domestic product (GDP) during the second quarter of 2026, as the country’s public debt continued to fall while debt ratios across the EU and the euro area increased. Figures published by Eurostat on Wednesday showed that Cyprus’ general government gross debt-to-GDP ratio dropped to 48.5 per cent at the end of June, down from 51.5 per cent at the end of March. The decrease of

Cyprus has launched a €1.5 million grant scheme to support existing businesses in developing and commercialising innovative cybersecurity products and services, with eligible projects able to receive funding of up to €100,000. The programme, titled “Fast Track Innovation – Cybersecurity”, was announced by the Digital Security Authority (DSA), acting as Cyprus’ National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCC-CY), in cooperation with the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF)

The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) has highlighted European funding opportunities available to Cypriot small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups through the European Commission’s Cascade Funding mechanism. The initiative is intended to make financial support and other resources more accessible to businesses, particularly those active in technology, innovation and the green transition. Cascade Funding, also known as Financial Support to Third Parti

Greece is stepping up preparations for the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) fifth-round mutual evaluation of its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework, with government agencies and regulators required to report on progress and outstanding weaknesses by 3 November 2026. The preparations are being coordinated through Greece’s Strategic Committee for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. Authorities are developing a national action pla

Morgan Stanley has reaffirmed its positive outlook for Greece’s banking sector, identifying Alpha Bank as one of its preferred European mid-cap banking stocks and describing the recent decline in bank shares as a potential buying opportunity. In its latest assessment, the investment bank attributed the recent pressure on European banking shares primarily to deteriorating sentiment in government bond markets and profit-taking, rather than a fundamental deterioration in banks’

Cyprus, Greece and Egypt are stepping up efforts to deepen energy cooperation, with the three countries placing greater emphasis on existing infrastructure, regional connectivity and the development of Eastern Mediterranean natural-gas resources for European markets. The issue was at the centre of meetings in Athens on Wednesday involving Cyprus Energy, Commerce and Industry Minister Michael Damianos, Greek Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou and Egyptian Petr

Cyprus recorded the second-highest annual increase in retail trade volume among European Union member states in August 2026, registering growth of 7.5 per cent compared with the same month a year earlier. The performance placed Cyprus just behind Sweden, which recorded annual retail trade growth of 7.7 per cent. Estonia ranked third, with an increase of 6 per cent. The figures, compiled by Eurostat, compare retail trade volumes in August 2026 with those recorded in August 202

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) has instructed fund managers and self-managed investment funds to submit their statistical returns for the third quarter of 2026 by October 30, 2026, warning that failure to file on time or submitting incomplete information could result in administrative penalties. In a circular issued this week, CySEC said the reporting obligation covers Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFMs), UCITS management companies, internall

Moody’s Ratings has revised the outlook on National Bank of Greece’s long-term deposit ratings to positive from stable while affirming the bank’s long-term deposit and senior unsecured debt ratings at Baa1. The action follows Moody’s recent revision of Greece’s sovereign rating outlook to positive from stable. Greece’s sovereign rating remains unchanged at Baa3. The change in the bank’s deposit outlook is linked directly to the improved outlook for the sovereign rating. Moody

S&P Global Ratings has upgraded Cyprus’ long-term and short-term sovereign credit ratings from A-/A-2 to A/A-1, while maintaining a positive outlook for the long-term rating. The decision, announced on 18 September 2026, places Cyprus in the A rating category for the first time since 2010. The upgrade applies to Cyprus’ long-term and short-term credit ratings in both local and foreign currency. The positive outlook means that the long-term rating remains subject to the possib

National Bank of Greece (NBG) will cancel 11,580,849 treasury shares acquired under its share buyback programme, representing 1.27% of its share capital, as the bank continues a separate tranche of purchases on the Athens Stock Exchange. The shares scheduled for cancellation on 17 September 2026 were acquired between 4 June 2025 and 27 March 2026 under a buyback programme approved by NBG shareholders. The bank paid a weighted average price of €12.6171 per share, bringing the

Alpha Bank has purchased 3,152,886 of its own shares for a total consideration of approximately €14.87 million as part of its ongoing share buyback programme. The purchases were carried out on Euronext Athens between 7 and 9 September 2026, with the bank paying an average price of €4.7160 per share. The buyback programme was approved by Alpha Bank shareholders at the bank’s Annual General Meeting on 26 June 2026 and was subsequently put into effect on 31 July. The largest ind

Cyprus is intensifying efforts to position itself as a European and regional centre for investment, technology, energy, transport and trade, with President Nikos Christodoulides saying that substantive foreign direct investment (FDI) increased by approximately 10 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year. Speaking on Wednesday at the EY Cyprus Future Realised Forum in Nicosia, Christodoulides said the rise in investment activity was reinforcing confidence in the countr

Cyprus-regulated businesses are being encouraged to participate in a European consultation that could significantly change how money laundering and terrorist financing risks are assessed across the European Union. The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission has urged regulated entities to engage with the Anti-Money Laundering Authority on draft Regulatory Technical Standards designed to establish a common methodology for assessing the money laundering and terrorist financin

Industrial prices in Cyprus accelerated significantly in July, with the overall Industrial Output Price Index increasing by 4.4% compared with the same month a year earlier, according to the latest official data. The index reached 128.2 points in July, based on 2021 as the reference year, following a 2% increase compared with June. The latest figures indicate that price pressures within the industrial economy strengthened considerably during the summer, with energy costs play

Cyprus is continuing to record strong economic growth, with the country's performance remaining well ahead of the European average despite a more challenging external environment and increasing uncertainty across regional markets. The latest figures indicate that real GDP expanded by 3.3% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, following growth of 3.0% in the first quarter. The second-quarter result was more than three times the growth recorded across the euro area, highl

Cyprus is rapidly establishing itself as one of the world's most significant video game development hubs relative to its population, with the industry generating billions of euros in annual revenue and attracting hundreds of international companies to the island. The scale of the sector has become increasingly visible following the publication of the first comprehensive industry assessment of Cyprus's video game market. The figures indicate that what was once a relatively sma

National Bank of Greece announced this week that it had repurchased 727,285 of its own common shares traded on Euronext Athens between August 10 and August 17, 2026. The shares were acquired at a weighted average price of €16.3083 each, bringing the total value of the latest transactions to €11,860,757.13. The share buybacks were carried out in line with decisions approved at the bank’s annual general meeting of shareholders on April 30, 2026, and following the subsequent ann

The Cypriot passport has strengthened its position in the latest international passport rankings for 2026, rising one place to 13th position in the Henley Passport Index. Cypriot citizens can now travel to 175 destinations without having to obtain a visa in advance, either through visa-free entry or by obtaining a visa upon arrival. The improvement marks a step forward from 2025, when Cyprus ranked 14th globally. Nevertheless, the country remains one position below its highes