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Investor Interest In Cyprus Holds Steady Despite Regional Risks

Robust Investor Engagement

The Bank of Cyprus recently reported robust investor engagement during its participation in the Morgan Stanley European Financial Conference in London. This engagement followed a series of high-level meetings with major international funds, underscoring the confidence global investors have in the Cyprus economy despite regional uncertainties.

Strategic Meetings With Leading Funds

Within a single day, the bank conducted meetings with 30 investment funds from Europe and the United States. Each session attracted around five to six prominent institutional investors, including renowned asset managers such as Wellington Management, AllianceBernstein, Fidelity Investments, and T. Rowe Price. The discussions centered on the bank’s long-term business plan, positioning it as an attractive opportunity for investors looking to capitalize on a promising turnaround story.

Compelling Business Strategy And Financial Resilience

Investors highlighted several key attributes that set the bank apart: high capitalization, ample liquidity, strong profitability, and an attractive dividend policy. This combination not only underpins its current financial strength but also reinforces its long-term strategic direction. Many noted that the Bank of Cyprus has achieved one of the most impressive turnarounds in European banking, further bolstering its reputation as one of the best-capitalized banks in the region.

Attractive Dividend Targets And Regional Outlook

Focus during the discussions included the bank’s recently announced dividend targets, which are higher than those of regional peers. Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, investor attention remains limited, including in relation to developments in Iran. European banks are generally viewed as resilient under current conditions.

Cyprus’ proximity to the Middle East was noted as a risk factor, although investors also pointed to potential medium-term opportunities linked to regional developments.

Investor interest supports the position of the Bank of Cyprus and reflects broader expectations for the country’s economic outlook despite external pressures.

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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