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Cyprus Banks Enter New Growth Phase As Lending Picks Up

by News Editor

August 20, 2026

Major banks in Cyprus and Greece remained highly profitable in the first half of 2026, even as interest rates continued to decline. The four major Greek banks generated around €2.5 billion in combined profit, while including Bank of Cyprus brings the total to roughly €2.8 billion.

The results point to a changing environment for the sector. As interest rates become less supportive, stronger lending, fee income, international operations and improved efficiency are playing a bigger role in earnings.

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Strong Results Across The Sector

Eurobank reported €738 million in first-half net profit, rising to €776 million on an adjusted basis, with return on tangible equity at 16.6%. Its Cyprus operations contributed €231 million, although that was 7.7% below the previous year.

Bank of Cyprus posted €252 million in after-tax profit, up 7% year-on-year, while return on tangible equity reached 18.8%. Net interest income remained broadly stable at €369 million despite lower rates, supported by loan and deposit growth, lower funding costs and hedging.

The bank’s performing loan portfolio reached about €11.4 billion. It also announced an interim dividend of €0.24 per share, worth approximately €105 million.

Greek Banks Keep Lending

National Bank of Greece reported €661 million in profit, up 3%, with adjusted return on tangible equity at 15.5%. Strong lending and higher fee income supported upgrades to several 2026 targets.

Piraeus recorded a record €617 million in first-half profit, while its loan portfolio expanded by €1.8 billion.

Alpha Bank reported €497 million in profit, with normalised earnings of around €500 million. Fee income was a particularly strong contributor, while lending growth supported net interest income.

A Shift Beyond Interest Income

With rates moving lower, banks are increasingly relying on credit expansion and fee-generating businesses to maintain profitability. Business lending is becoming a key growth driver, while services such as investment products, cards and insurance are providing additional revenue.

Strong capital positions are also allowing banks to increase shareholder distributions. Bank of Cyprus plans to distribute 70% of its 2026 profit and has indicated there could be room for an additional payout. Its interim dividend is 20% higher than a year earlier.

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Cyprus Outpaces EU Average In Working-Age Population Share, Eurostat Finds

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 6, 2026

Cyprus had a working-age population share of 61.6 per cent on January 1, 2025, placing the country above the European Union average of 58.3 per cent, according to Eurostat.

Cyprus Stands Above The EU Benchmark

The figures show that people aged 20 to 64 made up more than three-fifths of Cyprus’ population at the start of last year. In Eurostat’s regional demographic breakdown, Cyprus is treated as a single region because of its size, rather than being divided into multiple NUTS level 3 areas.

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Wide Gaps Across The Bloc

Across the EU, 58.3 per cent of the population was of working age on January 1, 2025. The share reached at least 63.0 per cent in 39 NUTS level 3 regions, most of them in Germany. The group also included island regions in Spain, alongside several capital regions and their surrounding areas.

Capital And Island Regions Lead

At the top of the range was the Danish capital region of Byen København, where 68.9 per cent of residents were of working age. The same proportion was recorded in Spain’s island region of Eivissa y Formentera, while Fuerteventura stood at 68.3 per cent and Lanzarote at 67.3 per cent.

Rural Europe Skews Older

At the other end of the spectrum, working-age residents accounted for less than 55.0 per cent of the population in 189 EU regions. These areas were largely rural, including inland Portugal, much of rural France, most of eastern Germany, and rural areas in Bulgaria, Greece and the Nordic EU countries.

In six regions, fewer than half of the population was of working age. Those regions were Bornholm in Denmark, Creuse and Lot in south-west France, Etelä-Savo in south-east Finland, the Arrondissement of Veurne in Belgium and the French outermost region of Mayotte.

What The Data Measures

Eurostat’s regional demographic data measure the share of people aged 20 to 64, not the share of people who are actually employed. Cyprus’ 61.6 per cent figure was 3.3 percentage points above the EU average, though still below the highest regional levels recorded across the bloc.

The data underline how sharply Europe’s age structure varies from one region to another, with working-age shares differing significantly between urban centres, capital regions, islands and predominantly rural areas.