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Nominees Announced For The CYDIA Awards® 2026

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

The Cyprus Diaspora Forum is proud to announce the nominees for the CYDIA Awards® 2026, the annual celebration recognising the outstanding achievements and contributions of Cypriots abroad and friends of Cyprus.

The CYDIA Awards® form part of the Cyprus Diaspora Forum®, which will take place in Limassol from 6–9 May 2026, bringing together leading members of the global Cypriot community from across business, government, academia, science, culture and philanthropy.

The awards honour exceptional individuals across a wide range of categories, including the highly anticipated Lifetime Achievement Award.

We are delighted to announce that the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Theo Paphitis, the renowned British Cypriot retail entrepreneur, television Dragon and philanthropist.

Among the other distinguished honours, the Diaspora Ambassador Award will be presented to Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, Joint CEO of Tototheo Global and President of the Board of the Association of Cypriot Professionals in Greece.

The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry Diaspora Entrepreneur Award will be presented to Christos A. Poullaides, a prominent Bahrain-based construction industry leader with operations across the Middle East and Europe.

The Diaspora Ambassador Legacy Award will be awarded to Panos A. Panay, President of The Recording Academy and presenter of the Grammy Awards.

The Diaspora Honorary Award, which recognises an exceptional individual whose achievements, leadership and enduring contribution have brought distinction to the global diaspora, will be awarded to Demetrios Mallioros.

In the remaining 15 categories, the public is invited to vote for their favourite nominee. Public voting will close on Sunday, 19 April 2026, allowing the global Cypriot community to recognise individuals who have made a significant impact in their respective fields.

Voting is now open at: https://www.cyprusdiasporaforum.com/nominees-2026

CYDIA Awards 2026 Nominees and Categories

Advocating Cyprus

  • Effie Athanassiou
  • Irene Matys
  • Martin Zarian
  • Sergey Polivar

‘Artemis Pouroulis’ Culture and Arts

  • Andreani Panayides
  • Andreas Charalambous
  • Avgi Pourgoura
  • Elly Symons

Contribution to Society

  • Christos Charalambous
  • Kelly Christodoulou
  • Lucy Loizou
  • Niklas Wilhelm

Education

  • Androulla Poutziouris
  • Georgia Solomou
  • Professor Katerina Kaouri
  • Sean Alimov

Finance and Commerce

  • Carissa Louca
  • Dr. Demetrios Zamboglou
  • George S. Georgiades
  • James Demetriades

‘George Michael’ Entertainment Award

  • Chryso Makariou
  • Daphne Alexander
  • Dimitri Leonidas
  • Dr. Marios Joannou Elia

Health

  • Dr. Eleni Toumarides
  • Maria Hadjidemetriou
  • Professor Natasha Kyprianou
  • SOZO Brain Center

Impact

  • Andreas Farmakalidis
  • Eleni Savva
  • Dr. Maria Krambia-Kapardis
  • Maria Petrides

Literature

  • Alex Christofi
  • Christy Lefteri
  • Eva Asprakis
  • Soulla Christodoulou

Marketing and Media

  • Matthew Zorpas
  • Rafaella Mehmet
  • Savvas Agathangelou
  • Tom Toumazis

Movement for Change

  • Charalambos Toumazis
  • Marianna Konina
  • Michalis Pantelidis
  • Panos Englezos

Real Estate

  • Anastasia Yianni
  • Artemis Ansell
  • Nick Salatas
  • Omar Awartani

Social and Philanthropy

  • Chris Christofi
  • The Cyprus Environment Foundation
  • Filli Kaoullas
  • Sophia For Children

Sports

  • Evagoras Papasavvas
  • George Panagiotakis
  • Kyrenia Nautical Club
  • Michael Georgiou

Startups and Innovation

  • Connie Christofi
  • Stavros Therapontos
  • Stelios Alexandrou
  • William Demetriou

The CYDIA Awards® 2026 ceremony and Gala Dinner will take place at the Parklane Resort in Limassol, Cyprus, on Saturday, 9 May 2026, as the closing event of the Cyprus Diaspora Forum®.

The evening will feature a spectacular entertainment programme with performances by Alexandros Tsangarides, The Amalgamation Choir, Sofia Patsalides, Savvas Mouskos, Chryso Makariou, Stavros Konstantinou and Antri Karantoni, with a special guest performance by Evangelia.

The event will also include a specially choreographed performance by Antigoni Tasouri and will be hosted by Emilia Papadopoulos and Yanna Darilis.

This landmark occasion will celebrate the achievements of the global Cypriot community and international friends of Cyprus, highlighting the extraordinary impact Cypriots continue to have around the world.
More information: www.cyprusdiasporaforum.com

payabl. Launches Click To Pay With Visa To Help Merchants Improve Checkout Conversion And Reduce Fraud

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

payabl. has launched Click to Pay with Visa, a new card payment experience designed to help merchants reduce checkout friction, improve authorisation rates, and deliver a faster, more secure online payment journey.

WhatsApp Image 2026 04 16 at 10.37.46

Click to Pay replaces manual card number entry with a token-based checkout experience. Once a customer’s card is enrolled, they can complete purchases in just a few clicks, without re-entering card details. The result is a faster checkout that mirrors the ease of contactless payments in-store, while maintaining strong security standards.

For merchants, the impact is measurable. According to Visa, Click to Pay can deliver up to a 11% uplift in authorisation rates compared to manual card entry, alongside significant fraud reduction through network tokenisation. Faster checkout also helps reduce cart abandonment, particularly on mobile, where typing card details remains a major source of friction.

“With online checkout, every extra step costs conversion,” said Breno Oliveira, Chief Product Officer at payabl. “Visa Click to Pay removes one of the biggest points of friction at the moment of purchase. It helps merchants approve more legitimate transactions, reduce fraud exposure, and give customers the experience they already expect.” 

Visa Click to Pay is available through payabl. checkout, enabling merchants to activate the service without additional integration complexity. The solution works across devices and supports existing security flows, including 3D Secure where required.

“Consumers have come to expect a highly personalised, intuitive, and seamless payment experience, whether they’re buying a coffee, shopping online, or applying for a loan. Visa Click to Pay aims to meet these expectations by removing the need to manually enter card details, thus enhancing both security and the consumer experience in online card payments. With the support of network tokens, Visa Click to Pay enabled a more secure and smoother transaction process, available in many countries around the world. According to European VisaNet data, Visa Click to Pay may allow a 4.5% uplift in merchant sales, meaning a possible annual increase of €51 bn in SMB eCommerce sales in the UK and EU,” said Michael Ioannides, Country Manager, Visa Cyprus.

The launch forms part of payabl.’s broader focus on checkout optimisation, helping merchants improve conversion, approvals, and payment reliability at scale. Click to Pay with Visa is now live for eligible merchants across Europe. 

Checkout expectations are rising across Europe 

Insights from payabl.’s State of European Checkouts report underline why frictionless checkout experiences are becoming a commercial priority. The research found that consumers cite speed (46%), convenience (44%), and security (41%) as the top reasons for choosing a payment method. More than half of consumers (53%) are open to switching to newer payment methods and nearly half (48%) are open to one-click checkouts, provided the solution is backed by a trusted brand such as Visa.

“Checkout is no longer just the final step of a transaction,” said Oliveira. “It is a critical part of the overall customer experience. Our research shows that 43% of European consumers will not return to a site after a poor checkout experience. For merchants across the UK and Europe, that translates directly into lost customers and lost revenue.”

The launch forms part of payabl.’s broader focus on checkout optimisation, helping merchants improve conversion, approvals, and payment reliability at scale. Click to Pay with Visa is now live for eligible merchants across Europe.

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