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Mall Of Cyprus Raises First-Half Profit 25.5% As Leasing Income Strengthens And Borrowing Costs Ease

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 30, 2026

Higher Rental Income And Lower Finance Costs Lift First-Half Earnings

Mall of Cyprus (MC) Plc reported a 25.5% rise in first-half profit for 2026, supported by stronger income from commercial space and a decline in finance costs, while its liquidity position improved materially.

According to the company’s unaudited interim financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2026, filed via the Cyprus Stock Exchange’s official disclosure system, profit after tax increased to €5.96 million from €4.75 million a year earlier.

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Leasing Revenue Remains The Core Growth Driver

Revenue from rights for the use of space and other income climbed almost 8% to €10.39 million, compared with €9.63 million in the first half of 2025.

The improvement was driven primarily by stronger performance across the mall’s commercial spaces. Minimum licence fees rose to €7.75 million from €7.34 million, while additional licence fees increased to €185,118 from €151,837.

Licence fees tied to common-area contributions also edged higher, reaching €711,979 from €700,806, and turnover-related licence fees advanced to €173,486 from €152,951. In total, licence-fee income increased to €8.28 million from €7.82 million. Income from recharged utilities and other recoveries also improved, rising to €2.11 million from €1.81 million.

Other operating income, which includes advertising, car parking and electricity income, increased to €720,982 from €453,481 in the comparable period last year.

Operating Profit Expands Despite Higher Expenses

As a result, operating profit rose by about 17% to €8.68 million from €7.42 million.

Administration and other operating expenses also increased, though at a slower pace, to €2.75 million from €2.58 million. Property management, maintenance and utility costs accounted for roughly €2.25 million of that total.

Net finance costs declined slightly to €2.17 million from €2.24 million a year earlier, helping support the stronger bottom line. Profit before tax climbed to €6.53 million, compared with €5.14 million in the first half of 2025.

Tax Changes And Dividend Distribution Weighed On The Bottom Line

The company’s tax charge rose to €569,236 from €389,866, with the financial statements noting that Cyprus’ corporation tax rate increased to 15% from 12.5%.

Earnings per share improved to 1.79 cents from 1.42 cents in the prior-year period. On July 3, Mall of Cyprus also approved an interim dividend of €6 million, which was paid to shareholders on July 20.

Balance Sheet Strengthens As Cash Rises

The company ended the period with a stronger cash position. Cash at bank and in hand stood at €13.63 million on June 30, compared with €9.14 million at the end of 2025.

Total assets rose to €255.1 million from €250.7 million at the end of December, while total equity increased to €127.61 million from €121.65 million.

Investment property was valued at €239.73 million, with the company recording a €213,461 fair-value loss on investment property during the first half of the year.

Borrowings declined to €97.23 million from €98.14 million at the end of 2025, while the weighted average effective interest rate on bank loans fell to 4.02% from 4.28%.

Cash generated from operations came to €7.81 million, while net cash generated from operating activities reached €7.68 million, compared with €8.12 million in the same period last year.

Tenant Relations And Cost Discipline Remain The Focus

Mall of Cyprus’ principal activity remains the leasing and granting of rights for the use of space at Shacolas Emporium Park in Strovolos, home to the Mall of Cyprus, IKEA and other retail and commercial developments.

Management said its priorities are to maintain close relationships with tenants, secure new occupiers where possible and keep operating costs under control, while continuing to monitor economic and geopolitical risks that could affect consumer spending and the wider retail sector.

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Greek Retail Investors Embrace ETFs And Domestic Stocks, Report Finds

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 23, 2026

Greece’s retail investment market is expanding beyond wealthy households, with younger people, employees and self-employed professionals increasingly investing from modest incomes, according to data from Wealthyhood.

The report found that the median investor age is 34, with 34% under 30 and 31% aged 35 to 44. Women account for around one in six investors but recorded higher annualised returns than men, at 23.8% compared with 20.9%. Wealthyhood identified increasing women’s participation as a key challenge for the market.

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Participation also extends across income groups: 58% of investors earn less than €20,000 annually, while 66% work full-time and 17% are self-employed.

The platform’s users span 458 towns across 73 of Greece’s 74 regional units. Attica accounts for 51% of investors, while 49% live elsewhere. Thessaloniki follows with 11.7%, ahead of Patras, Heraklion, Chania, Larissa and Volos.

ETFs Remain The Main Entry Point

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are the most common first investment, chosen by 56% of new users. Their appeal lies in diversification, allowing investors to gain exposure to a basket of stocks through a single purchase.

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF was the most popular first investment, selected by 18% of new Greek investors. The S&P 500 also ranks as the platform’s most popular investment overall, while NVIDIA is the leading individual stock across generations.

Trading activity peaks between 5pm and 6pm, around the opening of US markets, suggesting many users invest after work. Weekdays account for 91% of orders, compared with 9% at weekends. Personal recommendations also influence decisions, with 23% of investors saying they started investing after advice from friends.

Greek Shares Attract More Investors

Since Greek stocks became available on the platform in July, one in five investors has added Greek shares or ETFs to their portfolios. According to the report, Greek equities and ETFs accounted for 21% of every euro invested during the period. Public Power Corporation (PPC) also became the platform’s eighth most popular stock of the year within three months of its introduction.

The figures suggest that easier digital access is encouraging investors to consider domestic companies alongside international markets.

Investor behaviour during the March 2026 market sell-off also pointed to resilience. Wealthyhood users bought €1.82 worth of investments for every €1 sold, while almost half of Greek investors did not sell any holdings.

Returns Favour A Long-Term Approach

Overall, 82.8% of investors recorded positive returns, with an average annualised return of 21.1%. Less active investors performed better than those who traded more frequently: those making fewer transactions and avoiding sales achieved annualised returns of 23.3%, compared with 18.5% among more active traders.

The findings suggest that frequent trading did not translate into stronger returns for the platform’s users, many of whom appear to favour a longer-term approach.

Wealthyhood identified five key trends in its first year of data: broader access to investing, long-term investment habits, resilience during market volatility, growing interest in Greek equities and positive returns across much of its user base.

Together, the findings point to a shift in Greek retail investing towards smaller starting amounts, ETF-led diversification and greater participation in domestic stocks. Wealthyhood said it plans to use anonymised user data to contribute to wider discussions about investment behaviour, including how retail investors respond to market uncertainty.