Cy & Gr News

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