Breaking news

Cypriot Banking Stability: Ongoing Resilience Amid Geopolitical Uncertainty

Stable Non-performing Loan Ratio Under Pressure

The Central Bank of Cyprus confirmed a steady non-performing loan ratio of 5.5% as of the end of August 2025. This stability comes despite a backdrop of significant geopolitical disruptions, underscoring the sector’s robust financial foundation.

Improved Provision Coverage and Enhanced Credit Quality

By applying the European Banking Authority’s Risk Dashboard methodology, which encompasses loans and advances to Central Banks and Credit Institutions, the NPL ratio showed signs of improvement, declining to 2.8% from 2.9% over the previous month. Additionally, the coverage ratio of non-performing loans with provisions increased to 62.6%, up from 62.2% in July, illustrating a cautious yet proactive approach to risk management.

Diversified Lending Practices Amid Market Shifts

Total restructured loans reached €1.2 billion at the close of August 2025, with half of this sum (€0.6 billion) categorized as non-performing. In parallel, net new loans in Cyprus experienced a modest decline, as highlighted by the Central Bank of Cyprus. In a recent report, new loans in Cyprus fell by €18.5 million in October, primarily due to a deceleration in corporate credit activity. Nevertheless, housing and consumer loans have shown resilience, with housing lending reaching €117.5 million and consumer loans also gaining momentum.

Rising Interest Rates And Liquidity Advantages

Interest rates saw increases across key segments, with mortgage rates climbing to 3.73% and consumer loans to 6.88%. While Cyprus’s lending rates are in line with the Eurozone median, deposit rates remain comparatively low. The Central Bank of Cyprus attributes this discrepancy to the exceptional liquidity position of Cypriot banks, as evidenced by a liquidity coverage ratio of 329%—a competitive advantage in today’s challenging market environment.

Meta’s Muse Is Outpacing ChatGPT In Early Mobile Adoption, New Data Suggests

Meta’s new AI app, Muse, may be emerging as one of the company’s strongest consumer launches to date. Fresh estimates from market intelligence firm Apptopia suggest the app has outperformed ChatGPT in early mobile traction, at least in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Apptopia, Muse recorded more downloads in its first 12 days on the market than ChatGPT did during the comparable period after its mobile debut. The comparison, limited to the U.S. and Canada, puts Muse’s iOS downloads at 1.8 million versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same initial window.

A Strong Early Start Across Platforms

In total, Muse has reached 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days, according to the firm. The app’s momentum also appears to be holding. After debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. App Store, Muse has since climbed to No. 1, surpassing ChatGPT, according to reporting from Business Insider. Appfigures had previously estimated that Muse crossed 1 million downloads shortly after launch.

That early rise matters because app-store performance in the first days after launch often signals whether a product can sustain consumer attention beyond initial curiosity. In Meta’s case, the data suggests Muse is not simply benefiting from novelty; it is gaining ground quickly enough to challenge the category leader.

Daily Users Show Similar Momentum

Apptopia’s estimates point to another favorable comparison for Meta: daily usage. In the U.S. alone, Muse is said to have 642,000 daily active users, well above the 231,000 ChatGPT had at the same stage of its mobile rollout.

To make the comparison fairer, Apptopia also narrowed the analysis to iOS only, since ChatGPT launched on iPhone before expanding more broadly. Even under that tighter lens, Muse still comes out ahead, with 359,000 daily active users on iOS compared with ChatGPT’s earlier figure.

Why Meta Has An Advantage

Third-party estimates are not the same as internal company data, and Apptopia cannot see Meta’s proprietary numbers. Still, even directional data suggests Muse may be on track to become a meaningful consumer product for Meta.

That possibility is strengthened by Meta’s distribution advantage. The company has already demonstrated how powerful its ecosystem can be with Threads, which surpassed 500 million users after heavy promotion across Instagram and Facebook. Muse is likely to receive a similar boost, especially because it can connect across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Apptopia does not track Meta’s internal promotion strategy, but its data indicates that more than 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, while 63% are Instagram users. That overlap underscores how effectively Meta can move users across its products when it chooses to prioritize a launch.

The Strategic Test For Meta

For Meta, the early signal from Muse is less about one app’s download count than about whether the company can turn its scale into durable AI adoption. The first test is attention. The harder one is retention.

If Muse can convert early downloads into habitual use, Meta may have found a new front door into its AI ambitions. If not, the app risks becoming another example of how easily mobile hype can spike before settling back down.

Meta, which was asked for comment, has not yet released public figures on Muse’s early adoption.

eCredo
Aretilaw firm
The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties
Uol

Become a Speaker

Become a Speaker

Become a Partner

Subscribe for our weekly newsletter