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Nominees Announced For The CYDIA Awards® 2026

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

The Cyprus Diaspora Forum is proud to announce the nominees for the CYDIA Awards® 2026, the annual celebration recognising the outstanding achievements and contributions of Cypriots abroad and friends of Cyprus.

The CYDIA Awards® form part of the Cyprus Diaspora Forum®, which will take place in Limassol from 6–9 May 2026, bringing together leading members of the global Cypriot community from across business, government, academia, science, culture and philanthropy.

The awards honour exceptional individuals across a wide range of categories, including the highly anticipated Lifetime Achievement Award.

We are delighted to announce that the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Theo Paphitis, the renowned British Cypriot retail entrepreneur, television Dragon and philanthropist.

Among the other distinguished honours, the Diaspora Ambassador Award will be presented to Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, Joint CEO of Tototheo Global and President of the Board of the Association of Cypriot Professionals in Greece.

The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry Diaspora Entrepreneur Award will be presented to Christos A. Poullaides, a prominent Bahrain-based construction industry leader with operations across the Middle East and Europe.

The Diaspora Ambassador Legacy Award will be awarded to Panos A. Panay, President of The Recording Academy and presenter of the Grammy Awards.

The Diaspora Honorary Award, which recognises an exceptional individual whose achievements, leadership and enduring contribution have brought distinction to the global diaspora, will be awarded to Demetrios Mallioros.

In the remaining 15 categories, the public is invited to vote for their favourite nominee. Public voting will close on Sunday, 19 April 2026, allowing the global Cypriot community to recognise individuals who have made a significant impact in their respective fields.

Voting is now open at: https://www.cyprusdiasporaforum.com/nominees-2026

CYDIA Awards 2026 Nominees and Categories

Advocating Cyprus

  • Effie Athanassiou
  • Irene Matys
  • Martin Zarian
  • Sergey Polivar

‘Artemis Pouroulis’ Culture and Arts

  • Andreani Panayides
  • Andreas Charalambous
  • Avgi Pourgoura
  • Elly Symons

Contribution to Society

  • Christos Charalambous
  • Kelly Christodoulou
  • Lucy Loizou
  • Niklas Wilhelm

Education

  • Androulla Poutziouris
  • Georgia Solomou
  • Professor Katerina Kaouri
  • Sean Alimov

Finance and Commerce

  • Carissa Louca
  • Dr. Demetrios Zamboglou
  • George S. Georgiades
  • James Demetriades

‘George Michael’ Entertainment Award

  • Chryso Makariou
  • Daphne Alexander
  • Dimitri Leonidas
  • Dr. Marios Joannou Elia

Health

  • Dr. Eleni Toumarides
  • Maria Hadjidemetriou
  • Professor Natasha Kyprianou
  • SOZO Brain Center

Impact

  • Andreas Farmakalidis
  • Eleni Savva
  • Dr. Maria Krambia-Kapardis
  • Maria Petrides

Literature

  • Alex Christofi
  • Christy Lefteri
  • Eva Asprakis
  • Soulla Christodoulou

Marketing and Media

  • Matthew Zorpas
  • Rafaella Mehmet
  • Savvas Agathangelou
  • Tom Toumazis

Movement for Change

  • Charalambos Toumazis
  • Marianna Konina
  • Michalis Pantelidis
  • Panos Englezos

Real Estate

  • Anastasia Yianni
  • Artemis Ansell
  • Nick Salatas
  • Omar Awartani

Social and Philanthropy

  • Chris Christofi
  • The Cyprus Environment Foundation
  • Filli Kaoullas
  • Sophia For Children

Sports

  • Evagoras Papasavvas
  • George Panagiotakis
  • Kyrenia Nautical Club
  • Michael Georgiou

Startups and Innovation

  • Connie Christofi
  • Stavros Therapontos
  • Stelios Alexandrou
  • William Demetriou

The CYDIA Awards® 2026 ceremony and Gala Dinner will take place at the Parklane Resort in Limassol, Cyprus, on Saturday, 9 May 2026, as the closing event of the Cyprus Diaspora Forum®.

The evening will feature a spectacular entertainment programme with performances by Alexandros Tsangarides, The Amalgamation Choir, Sofia Patsalides, Savvas Mouskos, Chryso Makariou, Stavros Konstantinou and Antri Karantoni, with a special guest performance by Evangelia.

The event will also include a specially choreographed performance by Antigoni Tasouri and will be hosted by Emilia Papadopoulos and Yanna Darilis.

This landmark occasion will celebrate the achievements of the global Cypriot community and international friends of Cyprus, highlighting the extraordinary impact Cypriots continue to have around the world.
More information: www.cyprusdiasporaforum.com

Greek And Cypriot Banks Propel Economic Growth With Aggressive Credit Expansion

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

Robust Q1 Growth Sets The Stage

Banks in Greece and Cyprus are accelerating lending activity, with total credit expansion projected to approach or exceed €15 billion in 2026. The increase is reinforcing the banking sector’s role in supporting profitability and broader economic growth across the region.

Targeted Lending Initiatives And Sector Performance

According to reports by Greek business outlet Newmoney, banks are increasingly relying on credit expansion to sustain earnings growth as interest rate dynamics shift across Europe. First-quarter results already point to strong momentum in lending activity.

Eurobank has set a target of €3.8 billion in credit expansion this year. National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank are each targeting €3 billion, while Alpha Bank aims for €3.5 billion. Smaller lenders are also expanding aggressively, with CrediaBank targeting €1.2 billion and Optima Bank aiming for €1.1 billion.

Notable Banking Results Across Markets

First-quarter results underline the scale of the lending rebound. Banks that have reported Q1 figures recorded cumulative credit expansion of €4.7 billion. Piraeus Bank increased its loan portfolio to €38.6 billion, while net credit expansion reached €1.3 billion across major business segments. At National Bank of Greece, new loan disbursements rose 50%, contributing to net credit expansion of €500 million.

Meanwhile, Eurobank reported a 9.8% increase in net credit expansion to €1.1 billion. In Cyprus, Bank of Cyprus recorded Q1 lending of €829 million, up 9% compared with the end of 2025, while Optima Bank posted a 27% year-on-year increase in loan disbursements to €1 billion.

Sectoral Dynamics And Asset Quality Improvements

A recent report from UBS showed that business lending remained the strongest growth driver in March, increasing 10.9% year-on-year. Consumer lending rose 7.7%, while housing loans increased 1.1%. Asset quality also continued to improve. Non-performing loans declined to 3.3% in Q4 2025, down 30 basis points from the previous quarter, reflecting the sector’s ongoing balance-sheet clean-up.

Despite the strong lending momentum, profitability remained broadly stable in the first quarter. Combined net profits at major banks, including National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank, Eurobank, Optima Bank and Bank of Cyprus, totaled €1.12 billion, representing a marginal year-on-year decline of 0.27%.

Profitability And Revenue Breakdown

Profit trends varied across institutions during the quarter. Net profit at National Bank of Greece declined 9.9%, while Piraeus Bank reported a 1.42% decrease. By contrast, Eurobank increased profitability by 5.3%. In Cyprus, Bank of Cyprus reported a 3% increase in profit, while Optima Bank posted a 22% rise. Across the sector, net interest income increased 1.4% to €1.93 billion, although performance differed among individual banks. Fee income recorded stronger growth, rising 20% year-on-year to €590 million.

Long-Term Trends And Strategic Impact

Over the past year, listed banks in Greece and Cyprus generated combined post-tax profits of €5.458 billion, up 15.4% from the previous year. During the same period, net interest income declined 4.2% to €9.307 billion, reflecting pressure from changing rate conditions.

Balance-sheet quality continued to strengthen as non-performing loans fell to €5.7 billion, down 5.2% compared with December 2024. Since March 2016, banks in the two markets have reduced non-performing exposures by an estimated €101.5 billion, equivalent to a cumulative decline of 94.7%.

The sustained improvement in asset quality, combined with expanding loan portfolios, is reinforcing the sector’s role in financing business activity and economic recovery across Greece and Cyprus.


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