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Cyprus Bank Deposits Exhibit Resilience Amid Loan Contractions

Robust Deposit Growth in August 2025

According to the latest deposit and loan statistics released by the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC), bank deposits in Cyprus experienced a net increase of €44.3 million in August 2025, marking a notable recovery from July’s net decrease of €154.5 million. The annual growth rate of total deposits registered 6 percent, a slight reduction from the 6.5 percent observed in the previous month. The overall cumulative deposit balance reached €56.5 billion by the end of August, underscoring the sector’s resilience.

Diverse Impacts Across Sectors

Breaking down the figures further, deposits held by Cyprus residents saw an impressive rise of €133.6 million. Household deposits increased by €46.5 million, while non-financial corporate deposits surged by €152.7 million. In contrast, deposits in other domestic sectors experienced a decline of €65.7 million, highlighting a divergent performance across different segments of the market.

Declining Loan Volumes

While deposit inflows showcased strength, the CBC data revealed a net decrease in total loans by €60.8 million in August 2025. This downturn reverses the preceding month’s net increase of €74.9 million, though the annual growth rate of total loans remained solid at 7.2 percent, consistent with July’s performance. By the end of August, the overall balance of loans had adjusted to €26.4 billion.

Sector Specific Loan Analysis

Examining the loan portfolio, loans extended to Cyprus residents declined by €69.9 million. In detail, household loans fell by €15.5 million, and loans to non-financial corporations decreased by €48.6 million, while those from other domestic sectors dropped by €5.8 million. This contraction in lending activity reflects a cautious approach by financial institutions amid evolving economic conditions.

Implications for the Financial Landscape

The latest figures from the CBC suggest a nuanced financial landscape in Cyprus, where robust deposit growth coexists with a tightening of loan portfolios. This duality may indicate a shift in bank strategies, balancing the accumulation of stable deposits against more conservative lending approaches. For market participants, these trends warrant careful monitoring as they adapt to a dynamic economic 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.

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