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Cyprus Loan Servicing Portfolio Grows To €19.61 Billion In First Quarter

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 2, 2026

The value of loans managed outside Cyprus’ traditional banking sector continued to increase in the first quarter of 2026, highlighting the scale of the island’s loan servicing market and the continued burden of distressed debt on households and businesses.

Loan Portfolio Expands By €256 Million

According to figures released by the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC), the contractual balance of loans managed by Credit Acquiring Companies and Credit Servicing Companies reached €19.61 billion as of March 31, 2026. That was €256 million, or 1.3%, higher than the €19.35 billion recorded at the end of 2025.

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Growth was driven primarily by larger household and non-financial corporate portfolios, which accounted for most of the quarterly increase.

Households And Businesses Carry The Largest Burden

Household loans under management totalled €9.67 billion, including €662 million in performing loans and €9.01 billion classified as non-performing. Those exposures related to 55,044 households.

Loans to non-financial corporations amounted to €9.24 billion, comprising €403 million in performing exposures and €8.83 billion in non-performing loans across 9,261 companies.

Compared with the end of December 2025, non-performing balances increased in both the household and corporate segments, while performing loans declined in each. Taken together, the figures suggest that asset quality remains under pressure even as the overall portfolio continues to expand.

Other Financial Corporations Show Modest Improvement

A more positive trend emerged among other financial corporations. Performing loans in that segment increased to €15 million from €6 million at the end of 2025, while non-performing balances edged down to €689 million from €691 million.

Overall, the segment covers 76 financial corporations.

Net Carrying Amount Highlights Recovery Expectations

Although the contractual value of the managed portfolio stood at €19.61 billion, its net carrying amount was significantly lower at €2.84 billion as of March 31, 2026.

This gap reflects the way acquired loan portfolios are valued on the balance sheets of Credit Acquiring Companies. While the contractual balance represents the full amount owed under loan agreements, including accrued interest, the net carrying amount reflects expected future cash flows after taking impairment losses and anticipated recoveries into account.

Overall, the latest data underline the continued importance of Cyprus’ loan servicing industry. While the managed portfolio continued to expand during the first quarter, the predominance of non-performing loans across both household and corporate borrowers shows that legacy debt remains a significant feature of the country’s financial landscape.

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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.

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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.