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Cypriot Banks Post €952.5 Million In Profits For Jan-Sep 2024, Driven By Strong Interest Income

Cyprus’s banking sector reported robust performance in the first nine months of 2024, achieving total post-tax profits of €952.5 million, a significant jump from €602.92 million recorded at the end of June. The latest data, published Tuesday by the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC), highlights strong gains across key financial metrics.

Strong Interest Income Powers Profit Surge

Net interest income, a critical driver of bank profitability, reached €1.53 billion by the end of September 2024, a sharp rise from €1.033 billion just three months earlier. Total net operating income also increased substantially, climbing to €1.88 billion from €1.22 billion at the end of June.

Capital Strength And Asset Management

The Tier 1 capital—a measure of the banks’ financial stability—rose slightly to €6.34 billion by the end of September, compared to €6.31 billion in June. Meanwhile, risk-weighted assets (RWA), a benchmark for evaluating financial risk, declined modestly to €22.83 billion from €22.91 billion over the same period.

Year-Over-Year Comparison

The sector’s nine-month performance is particularly noteworthy given that total post-tax profits for 2023 stood at €1.26 billion. This year’s strong momentum indicates a significant uptick in profitability, suggesting that banks are well-positioned to exceed last year’s results.

The latest figures underscore the resilience of Cypriot banks, reflecting their ability to capitalize on rising interest rates and strengthen their financial foundations.

Only 1% Of Cyprus Farms Use Precision Farming Technologies

Cyprus remains one of the European Union’s least digitised agricultural economies, with just 1% of farms using precision farming technologies in 2023, according to Eurostat.

The findings come as the EU continues to encourage the adoption of digital tools aimed at improving agricultural productivity, efficiency and sustainability.

Internet Access Expands, But Digital Uptake Lags

Internet access has improved across the bloc, although adoption remains uneven. Eurostat found that 43% of EU farms had internet access in 2023, with northern and central European countries leading the way.

Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Austria all reported internet access rates above 90%.

Greater connectivity, however, has not translated into widespread digital adoption. Farm management information systems, which help farmers manage day-to-day operations, were used by only about 11% of EU farms. France was a notable exception, with around 60% of farms using the technology.

Precision Farming Concentrated In Larger Operations

Robotics adoption also remained relatively limited, with only about 7% of EU farms using robotic technologies. Overall, around 18% of farms with utilised agricultural area employed at least one precision farming technology or practice in 2023.

These included robotics for plant protection, band spraying, variable-rate application, precision crop monitoring and soil analysis. Despite representing fewer than one in five farms, these holdings accounted for around 44% of the EU’s utilised agricultural area.

The figures suggest that precision farming remains concentrated among larger agricultural businesses, where investment in digital technologies is typically easier to support.

Cyprus Lags Behind EU Leaders

Luxembourg, Finland and Estonia recorded the highest shares of utilised agricultural area managed by farms using precision farming technologies, each exceeding 75%.

At the other end of the ranking, Cyprus recorded just 1%, while Greece and Romania reported between 10% and 15%. The results indicate that Cyprus remains at an early stage of digital adoption in agriculture, even as precision farming becomes more widespread across parts of the European Union.

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