Cyprus Prepares New Cost-of-Living Relief As Government Defends Fiscal Discipline

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 29, 2026

The Cyprus government is preparing additional measures to ease the rising cost of living, while maintaining that it is already using every available policy tool without endangering public finances or breaching European obligations.

Daily Monitoring Of Household Pressure

The Finance Ministry said on Monday that it is reviewing geopolitical developments and their impact on households on a daily basis. It added that a range of support measures, particularly for vulnerable groups, remains in force.

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Those measures include zero VAT on several basic goods, among them fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, baby milk, children’s and adult nappies, and feminine hygiene products.

Targeted Tax Relief Remains In Place

The ministry also pointed to the reduced 5 per cent VAT rate on electricity, which it said applies to around 33,000 low-income households and single-parent families.

In addition, the government has cut excise duty on motor fuels by 8.33 cents per litre, while child benefit has been increased and the income thresholds for eligibility have been widened.

Officials said the package is being reinforced by wider tax reform measures, including an increase in the tax-free income threshold to €22,000 and additional deductions for workers and households.

Fiscal Headroom As The Basis For Support

According to the ministry, these measures reflect the redistribution of gains created by what it described as responsible economic policy, fiscal surpluses and lower public debt.

The government said further initiatives are already being prepared for submission to the Council of Ministers. Finance Minister Makis Keravnos said earlier on Monday that a new package aimed at easing the cost of living would be brought before cabinet.

Government Rejects Claims Of Inaction

Responding to criticism of the government’s handling of inflation and household pressure, the ministry said protests were a democratic right.

It added, however, that the administration “is not remaining passive” and is “doing everything it can to respond,” while staying within the constraints of sound public finances and Cyprus’ European commitments.

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Meta Takes Muse From Consumer Buzz To Small Business Utility

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 29, 2026

Meta is widening the ambitions of its Muse AI agent, moving beyond consumer appeal and into the operational core of small business workflows.

A New Push Into Business Productivity

The company on Tuesday introduced Muse for Small Business, a version of the agent designed to connect with widely used software and services from Asana, Zoom, Intuit, Box, Canva and Slack. It can also link directly to Meta ad accounts and professional Instagram and Facebook profiles, turning the agent into a more practical business tool rather than a standalone assistant.

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Pricing remains aligned with the existing Muse app, which is free within usage limits and available on a subscription basis for heavier use.

Meta’s Enterprise Strategy Is Coming Into Focus

The launch follows Monday’s announcement that Meta will build a broader enterprise platform and has brought in MongoDB CEO C.J. Desai to lead it. That platform is expected to include a Muse agent, a business agent and a coding tool, signaling a more deliberate move into enterprise software.

The timing is notable. Meta has enjoyed a strong stretch on Wall Street, with the stock rising sharply in September before pulling back in recent sessions. Much of that momentum has been tied to Muse, which launched on Sept. 8 and quickly climbed to the top of Apple’s App Store, overtaking ChatGPT. Evercore analyst Mark Mahaney has said he expects Muse to reach 100 million users within six to 12 months.

Why Small Business Matters To Meta

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been explicit about the company’s push to find durable AI revenue beyond advertising, which still accounts for the overwhelming share of Meta’s business. After spending heavily on AI talent, including Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang, Meta has begun rolling out new models under the Muse Spark family, and Zuckerberg has called Muse the “centerpiece” of the company’s AI strategy.

For Meta, small business is a logical entry point. The company says about 200 million small businesses already use Facebook, giving it a vast distribution base and a ready-made customer pool for AI-driven productivity tools. In other words, Meta is not trying to create demand from scratch; it is trying to attach a higher-value service to an existing ecosystem.

The Competitive Stakes Are Rising

The new product arrives as OpenAI holds its developer day and as competition intensifies across enterprise AI. Meta’s move is a clear signal that it intends to compete not only for consumers, but also for business users who increasingly want AI embedded into the platforms they already rely on.

As Meta put it in its announcement: “Small businesses have been growing on our apps for nearly two decades. They told us they’re short on hours, not ideas. So we built Muse for Small Business to help get work done with the tools they already use.”

That framing captures the broader opportunity. The next phase of AI adoption will not be defined solely by novelty or chatbot engagement. It will be defined by integration, workflow efficiency and the ability to deliver measurable business outcomes. Meta appears determined to be in that race.

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