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Cyprus Leading Economic Indicator Falls 0.01% In March After Two-Month Growth

Economic Indicator Reversal Raises Concerns

Cyprus’ Leading Economic Indicator declined by 0.01% year-on-year in March 2026, reversing the growth recorded in previous months. The shift follows consecutive increases earlier in the year and signals a slowdown in momentum.

Progressive Monthly Trends

Revised figures published by the Centre for Economic Research at the University of Cyprus reveal that after a robust 1.78% increase in January and a 0.72% rise in February 2026, the March performance represented a slight deceleration. Comparing year-over-year data, the decrease relative to March 2025 underscores emerging headwinds.

Geopolitical And External Pressures

Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and broader global economic pressures are affecting economic conditions. These factors contributed to a decline in the weighted Economic Climate Index across Cyprus and the eurozone. External conditions remain a key driver of short-term fluctuations in economic indicators. Continued volatility may affect business sentiment and investment activity.

Impact Of Energy Prices

Brent crude prices increased in March 2026 after a period of annual declines, contributing to upward pressure on costs. Higher energy prices affected the overall performance of the indicator. Energy market movements continue to influence inflation and production costs across sectors. Price volatility remains a contributing factor to economic uncertainty.

Mixed Sectoral Performance

Tourism recorded a weaker performance due to reduced arrivals linked to flight disruptions. Electricity production, adjusted for temperature, also declined on an annual basis. Positive contributions came from real estate transactions, credit card spending and retail sales. These factors partially offset negative pressures in other sectors.

An Early Warning Framework

The Leading Economic Indicator combines multiple domestic and international variables to track early changes in economic activity. Components include energy prices, economic sentiment, tourism data, retail activity and electricity production. This structure allows the indicator to reflect shifts before they appear in broader macroeconomic data. It is used to assess short-term economic trends.

Looking Forward

The Centre for Economic Research said the March decline may indicate a potential slowdown amid increasing external risks. Future performance will depend on global conditions and domestic demand. Ongoing monitoring of indicator components will provide further signals on economic direction.

payabl. Launches Click To Pay With Visa To Help Merchants Improve Checkout Conversion And Reduce Fraud

payabl. has launched Click to Pay with Visa, a new card payment experience designed to help merchants reduce checkout friction, improve authorisation rates, and deliver a faster, more secure online payment journey.

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Click to Pay replaces manual card number entry with a token-based checkout experience. Once a customer’s card is enrolled, they can complete purchases in just a few clicks, without re-entering card details. The result is a faster checkout that mirrors the ease of contactless payments in-store, while maintaining strong security standards.

For merchants, the impact is measurable. According to Visa, Click to Pay can deliver up to a 11% uplift in authorisation rates compared to manual card entry, alongside significant fraud reduction through network tokenisation. Faster checkout also helps reduce cart abandonment, particularly on mobile, where typing card details remains a major source of friction.

“With online checkout, every extra step costs conversion,” said Breno Oliveira, Chief Product Officer at payabl. “Visa Click to Pay removes one of the biggest points of friction at the moment of purchase. It helps merchants approve more legitimate transactions, reduce fraud exposure, and give customers the experience they already expect.” 

Visa Click to Pay is available through payabl. checkout, enabling merchants to activate the service without additional integration complexity. The solution works across devices and supports existing security flows, including 3D Secure where required.

“Consumers have come to expect a highly personalised, intuitive, and seamless payment experience, whether they’re buying a coffee, shopping online, or applying for a loan. Visa Click to Pay aims to meet these expectations by removing the need to manually enter card details, thus enhancing both security and the consumer experience in online card payments. With the support of network tokens, Visa Click to Pay enabled a more secure and smoother transaction process, available in many countries around the world. According to European VisaNet data, Visa Click to Pay may allow a 4.5% uplift in merchant sales, meaning a possible annual increase of €51 bn in SMB eCommerce sales in the UK and EU,” said Michael Ioannides, Country Manager, Visa Cyprus.

The launch forms part of payabl.’s broader focus on checkout optimisation, helping merchants improve conversion, approvals, and payment reliability at scale. Click to Pay with Visa is now live for eligible merchants across Europe. 

Checkout expectations are rising across Europe 

Insights from payabl.’s State of European Checkouts report underline why frictionless checkout experiences are becoming a commercial priority. The research found that consumers cite speed (46%), convenience (44%), and security (41%) as the top reasons for choosing a payment method. More than half of consumers (53%) are open to switching to newer payment methods and nearly half (48%) are open to one-click checkouts, provided the solution is backed by a trusted brand such as Visa.

“Checkout is no longer just the final step of a transaction,” said Oliveira. “It is a critical part of the overall customer experience. Our research shows that 43% of European consumers will not return to a site after a poor checkout experience. For merchants across the UK and Europe, that translates directly into lost customers and lost revenue.”

The launch forms part of payabl.’s broader focus on checkout optimisation, helping merchants improve conversion, approvals, and payment reliability at scale. Click to Pay with Visa is now live for eligible merchants across Europe.

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