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ESMA Warns of Elevated Systemic Risks and Market Volatility Across EU Financial Markets
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued its first risk monitoring report of 2026, cautioning that European Union financial markets remain exposed to high levels of systemic stress and potential price swings, despite resilient market performance in the latter half of 2025. The report underlined that strong recent market returns have not eliminated underlying structural vulnerabilities across the EU’s financial system. ESMA noted that its risk assessment
Mar 172 min read


Cyprus Posts EU’s Sharpest Monthly Drop in Industrial Producer Prices in January
Industrial producer prices in Cyprus registered the steepest monthly decline across the European Union in January 2026, according to newly released estimates from Eurostat, even as producer prices climbed across both the euro area and the broader EU during the same period. The EU’s statistical office reported that industrial producer prices rose by 0.7 per cent in the euro area and by 0.8 per cent across the EU in January 2026 when compared with December 2025. This marked a
Mar 63 min read


EU Investment Slips 1.9% in 2024 as Key Sectors Face Sharp Contractions
Investment across the European Union weakened in 2024, with fresh data showing a broad-based cooling in capital spending as economic momentum slowed. According to figures published by Eurostat, gross fixed capital formation in the EU fell by 1.9 per cent compared with 2023. The measure is a central pillar of gross domestic product, tracking how much businesses and governments invest in fixed assets such as infrastructure, buildings, machinery, equipment, and research and de
Mar 22 min read


Cyprus chamber points to major export gains from EU-India trade deal
The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) has underlined the substantial export potential arising from the newly concluded free trade agreement between the European Union and India, noting that the arrangement is expected to open important new pathways for European exporters, including businesses in Cyprus. According to the chamber, the agreement, finalised in January 2026 and anticipated to take effect in the coming years, will make India’s vast market of around 1
Feb 202 min read


EU Regulators Warn Bank–Shadow Finance Links Could Amplify Future Market Shocks
European Central Bank and European Systemic Risk Board have jointly released a detailed analysis warning that expanding connections between traditional banks and the non-bank financial intermediation sector could create structural vulnerabilities capable of intensifying financial stress during adverse market environments. The joint publication, titled “Financial stability risks from linkages between banks and the non-bank financial intermediation sector”, concludes that while
Feb 183 min read


EU Weighs Blanket Ban on Crypto Transactions With Russia to Counter Sanctions Evasion
The European Union is considering a sweeping prohibition on all cryptocurrency transactions involving Russia as part of efforts to restrict Moscow’s ability to use digital assets to bypass existing sanctions, according to a document obtained by FT. The proposed measures would specifically target efforts to prevent sanctioned Russian crypto infrastructure from re-emerging under new guises. Officials are seeking to block "copycat Russian crypto entities spun out of already sanc
Feb 122 min read


EU Designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as Terrorist Group, Orders Asset Freezes and Sanctions
European Union foreign ministers reached a landmark agreement on January 29, 2026, to formally designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, while simultaneously imposing immediate sanctions on 21 individuals and entities linked to Iran’s security apparatus. The decision includes the freezing of all assets held within the bloc’s 27 member states by Iran’s Minister of the Interior, the Prosecutor General and the Chief of Police. European official
Feb 24 min read


EU Household Saving Rates Slip as Consumer Spending Continues to Outpace Income Growth
Household real consumption per capita in the euro area rose by 0.4 per cent during the third quarter of 2025, maintaining the same pace of growth recorded in the previous quarter, according to data released by Eurostat. Over the same three-month period, household real income per capita in the euro area increased by a more modest 0.1 per cent, following a stronger rise of 0.5 per cent in the second quarter of 2025. Across the European Union as a whole, household real consu
Jan 302 min read


EU Anti-Fraud Probe Exposes Large-Scale Vehicle Smuggling Network Supplying Russia
The European Anti-Fraud Office has coordinated an extensive multinational investigation that has uncovered the unlawful export of 766 transport vehicles to Russia in direct breach of existing trade restrictions. The inquiry was launched after Polish authorities detected irregular patterns in the export of used vehicles, which prompted deeper scrutiny into the destinations declared by exporters. Investigators ultimately uncovered a highly organized logistics operation that rel
Jan 295 min read


EU Completes Transfer of AML/CFT Powers to New Anti-Financial Crime Authority
The European Banking Authority (EBA) and the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism have finalized the full transfer of all anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing mandates and responsibilities, marking a major step forward in the European Union’s efforts to combat financial crime. The completion of this handover brings to a close the stand-alone AML/CFT mandate that the EBA has held since 2020 and represents a key mileston
Jan 272 min read


CySEC Reports €2.3 Million in Fines and Highlights 2025 Achievements Ahead of EU Presidency
The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) carried out extensive supervisory work in 2025, resulting in administrative sanctions totaling €2.3 million, President George Theocharides said at a press conference on Wednesday, reviewing the Commission’s activities over the year. The regulatory authority conducted approximately 600 on-site and remote inspections of Cyprus Investment Firms (CIFs), alongside extensive reviews of Collective Investment Managers and Undertak
Jan 233 min read


EU Draws Up €93 Billion Tariff Retaliation Plan as Trump Escalates Greenland Threats
The European Union is preparing a sweeping package of retaliatory measures against the United States, including tariffs worth up to €93 billion ($107.71 billion), in response to threats by US President Donald Trump to annex Greenland, according to a Financial Times report published on Sunday evening. Brussels is also examining the possibility of limiting access for US companies to the European market as part of a broader response. The measures were discussed during a meetin
Jan 194 min read


Denmark Seeks EU Review of Stricter Gambling Advertising Rules
Denmark has formally submitted proposed new controls on gambling advertising to the European Commission for scrutiny, as part of an effort to expand the regulatory and enforcement powers of the country’s gambling watchdog. On 13 January, Spillemyndigheden, Denmark’s Gambling Authority, filed a notification with the European Commission’s Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS), triggering the EU’s mandatory review procedure for draft technical regulations. The process
Jan 153 min read


Cyprus Wage Growth Tracks EU Trend as Labour Costs Continue to Rise
Hourly labour costs in Cyprus rose by 3.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, placing the country close to the European Union average and reflecting ongoing wage and cost pressures faced by employers across Europe, according to the latest figures released by Eurostat. Data from the EU’s statistical office show that during the same period, hourly labour costs increased by 3.3 per cent in the euro area and by 3.7 per cent across the EU as a whole, compared with the third q
Dec 19, 20253 min read


Labour Market Churn Persists Across EU Beneath Stable Headline Figures
Millions of people across the European Union continued to move in and out of work in mid-2025, despite overall labour market indicators suggesting relative stability. New figures published by Eurostat this week reveal substantial flows between employment, unemployment and economic inactivity between the second and third quarters of the year, shedding light on the scale and direction of labour market movements beneath the surface. Eurostat reported that “3.1 million unempl
Dec 15, 20252 min read
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