Opens in a new tab

Breaking news

Cyprus Banking Sector: Unprecedented Liquidity And Strength Amid Economic Recovery

Record Liquidity Levels Signal Market Confidence

The banking system in Cyprus has reached historic levels of liquidity, with excess deposits surpassing loans by €30.8 billion in October 2025. According to the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBN), total deposits hit €57.6 billion while loans remained at €26.8 billion, marking the highest liquidity surplus recorded since 2007.

Historical Trends and Market Resilience

From a turnaround in 2013—when loans exceeded deposits by approximately €17 billion—the sector has experienced a significant shift. Confidence began to stabilize as early as April 2018, when deposits first outpaced loans by €1.9 billion, with the surplus increasing to €8.7 billion by year’s end. Subsequent years have seen this gap widen steadily, reaching €30.5 billion in 2024, fueled by robust corporate and household savings. Noteworthy is the record €12.5 billion in corporate deposits reported in August 2025, reinforcing the system’s resilience.

Strong Liquidity Coverage and Stability in the European Context

Cypriot banks not only report impressive liquidity metrics but also maintain some of the highest liquidity coverage ratios in the European Union. Currently at 335 percent—well above the regulatory minimum of 100 percent—these figures echo the positive reviews from recent analyses of both Cypriot and European banks. August’s review has highlighted these strengths, while institutions like Bank of Cyprus have shown continuous improvement, with their Group LCR reaching 313 percent in September 2025.

Liquidity Allocation and Economic Implications

Despite the robust figures, there is an ongoing debate regarding the deployment of this surplus liquidity. Some analysts argue that a significant portion remains parked with the European Central Bank rather than being allocated to new lending initiatives. This observation raises important considerations about the role of the banking sector in fueling real economic growth.

Global Interest and Future Outlook

The combination of strong deposit growth, high solvency, and historic liquidity levels has cemented confidence in Cyprus’ banking system. Renewed international interest, as noted in recent coverage, underscores the market’s trust in the island’s financial stability. This evolving scenario presents both opportunities and challenges, as market participants and regulators navigate the balance between preserving liquidity and promoting sustainable lending practices.

Google Cloud Outage Disrupts Banking And Digital Services Across The UK

A power outage at a Google Cloud data centre near London disrupted services across the UK on Tuesday, affecting banks, businesses and other digital platforms. Google said the incident was caused by a power event at its cloud operations, with full recovery expected by around 1300 GMT.

The disruption began at 0608 GMT and affected Google Cloud services in the europe-west2 region, which is hosted in London. In an initial update, the company reported elevated error rates and intermittent network failures across multiple services as engineers worked to restore operations.

Banking Services Hit By The Disruption

Revolut was among the most visibly affected companies, with customers reporting problems with ATM withdrawals, bank transfers and card top-ups. A source close to the matter linked the issues to the Google Cloud outage.

Traditional banks also reported disruptions. Lloyds said some customers were experiencing problems with its app and online banking, while HSBC confirmed difficulties accessing its services. HSBC added that it was monitoring the situation and noted that other organisations were affected as well.

Disruption Spreads Beyond Finance

Downdetector, which tracks online service disruptions, recorded hundreds of reports involving other businesses, including property website Rightmove and the Royal Mail postal service. The reports suggested that the outage was affecting multiple parts of the UK’s digital economy.

The incident highlights the risks facing businesses that depend on shared cloud infrastructure. Even a temporary failure at a single provider can disrupt services across several sectors, from banking and payments to logistics and consumer platforms.

Companies Reassure Customers

Revolut said it had been working to resolve the issue since it was identified and apologised to affected customers. The company also confirmed that customers’ money and data remained safe.

As cloud platforms underpin an increasing share of digital commerce, the outage illustrates how disruptions to critical infrastructure can spread far beyond the provider itself, affecting businesses and customers across the economy.

Uol
eCredo
The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties
Aretilaw firm

Become a Speaker

Become a Speaker

Become a Partner

Subscribe for our weekly newsletter