Cyprus Sees Sharp Rise In New Mortgage Lending In May As Deposit Rates Remain Among Eurozone’s Lowest

New mortgage lending in Cyprus rose sharply in May 2026, highlighting continued demand for housing finance despite elevated borrowing costs. Net new housing loans increased to €145.5 million from €106 million in April, according to the Central Bank of Cyprus.

Overall Lending Gains Momentum

Net new lending across all categories reached €361.9 million in May, up from €331.3 million a month earlier, reflecting stronger credit activity among both households and businesses.

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Mortgage Rates Continue To Rise

The average interest rate on new housing loans increased to 4.06% in May from 3.73% in April, as demand for residential financing remained resilient despite higher borrowing costs.

Consumer And Small Business Lending Expand

Consumer lending also strengthened, with new loans rising to €23.9 million from €21.8 million in April.

Lending to non-financial corporations for amounts up to €1 million climbed to €63.4 million from €39.4 million, while loans exceeding €1 million declined to €121.5 million from €156.8 million, pointing to softer activity among larger corporate borrowers.

Borrowing Costs Show Mixed Trends

Interest rates moved in different directions across lending categories. Consumer loan rates eased to 6.95% from 7.19%, while rates on business loans of up to €1 million edged higher to 4.27%. The average rate on loans above €1 million fell to 3.85%.

Deposit rates also increased modestly. One-year household time deposits rose to 1.25% from 1.20%, while comparable deposits for non-financial corporations increased to 1.31% from 1.23%.

Deposit Rates Remain Among The Eurozone’s Lowest

According to the Central Bank of Cyprus, lending rates remain broadly in line with the euro area median. Deposit rates, however, continue to rank among the lowest in the eurozone, reflecting the banking sector’s strong liquidity position.

Borrowers Shift Toward Fixed-Rate Mortgages

Borrowers continued to favour longer fixed-rate mortgages in May. Loans with variable rates or an initial fixed-rate period of up to one year accounted for 17.8% of new housing lending, down from almost 100% at the beginning of 2022.

The shift reflects a growing preference for payment certainty as households adapt to a higher interest-rate environment.

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€50 Million Luxury Resort Planned For Ayia Napa

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 22, 2026

Ayia Napa could strengthen its position in the premium tourism market with a proposed €50 million mixed-use resort combining a hotel, serviced apartments, luxury bungalows and a beach club.

Aesara Investments Ltd has submitted an information form to the Department of Environment for a development to operate under the name Atlantica Wavemaster Hospitality. The project is planned for the Limnara area of Ayia Napa, along the coast south of Kryou Nerou Avenue, between the town centre and Cape Greco.

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Hotel, Apartments And Luxury Bungalows

The proposed resort will include a 324-room hotel with capacity for 648 guests, alongside a condo-hotel building containing 20 one- and two-bedroom apartments. Facilities are planned to include restaurants, bars, cafés, a spa with an indoor pool, a gym, shops, a multipurpose hall, a children’s club and a cinema.

A further 33 three-level luxury bungalows, each designed for two guests and featuring a private swimming pool, are planned for the southern part of the site. A beach club with a restaurant and an outdoor pool complex covering more than 6,300 square metres will also form part of the development.

The project includes 321 parking spaces, including 12 for people with disabilities, and 14,196 square metres of landscaped green space featuring local plant species.

Seasonal Hotel Operations And Year-Round Residences

The hotel is expected to operate from March to November, with peak occupancy during the summer season. The condo-hotel apartments, meanwhile, will be available for sale or long-term rental and intended for year-round residence. Owners and tenants will also have access to the resort’s facilities, including its pools, restaurants and fitness areas.

Construction is expected to take 24 months once the required permits are secured. At the busiest stage, the project could employ around 100 workers per day.

Environmental Restrictions Near Cape Greco

The site’s proximity to protected Natura 2000 areas has prompted strict environmental requirements. The Cape Greco Special Protection Area borders the site to the south, while a Special Area of Conservation lies approximately 50 metres away.

Conditions imposed by the Department of Environment include a maximum building height of five floors, or 18.5 metres, and restrictions on permanent structures near the coastline. The project must also use spider-web type glazing and low-intensity lighting to minimise disturbance to local birdlife.

According to the project’s consultants, the design has been prepared to comply with the environmental conditions and the final report on cumulative impacts for the Cape Greco Special Protection Area. The hotel and apartment building are positioned in the central and northern parts of the plot, away from the shoreline.

Within the designated no-build zone, located 40 metres from the boundary of the beach protection zone, only swimming pools are planned. The consultants state that these are not expected to affect protected species in the area.

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