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Cyprus Starts Selection Process For Board Roles In Semi-Public Organisations

Strategic Transition Ahead Of 2026

The Government of Cyprus has launched a process to appoint new board members across semi-public organisations and advisory councils ahead of term expirations in 2026. The selection is conducted through the Expert Advisory Council mechanism, which is used to evaluate candidates and support appointment decisions.

Robust Application Process

Konstantinos Letympiotis said that 1,241 applications were submitted during the first implementation of the process in 2023. Applications covered board positions across 13 organisations, reflecting interest from professionals in public sector governance roles.

Expanding Opportunities Across Leading Institutions

The current process includes 94 board positions across 12 organisations. Institutions involved include the Public Gas Company (DEFA), THOK, the Licensing Authority, the Urban Planning Council, RIK, HA EK, the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation, ATHEK, KOA, the Port Authority, the Cyprus Land Development Organisation, and the Construction and Technical Contractors Council. These roles cover sectors such as energy, culture, infrastructure, and public administration.

Clear Timelines And Evaluation Criteria

Applications will open on April 3, 2026, with submissions accepted until April 24, 2026, through an online platform. The Expert Advisory Council will assess candidates based on defined criteria and prepare a shortlist with three candidates per position. That shortlist will be submitted to the Cabinet for final selection. Interviews may also be conducted as part of the evaluation process.

An Invitation To Qualified Professionals

Authorities invited eligible candidates to submit applications for the available positions. The process is aimed at filling upcoming vacancies and maintaining governance structures across public organisations.

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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