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Robust Cyprus Loan Growth: Annual Lending Up 11.2% Amid Deposit Contraction

Market Overview

The Cyprus banking sector is witnessing a notable shift as annual loan growth edges upward to 11.2%, despite a significant contraction in overall deposit levels. The latest report from the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) underscores these contrasting trends, signaling a dynamic market environment.

Declining Deposits

According to the CBC’s most recent MFIs deposits and loans statistics, total deposits plunged by €851.2 million in January 2026, reversing the net increase of €877.1 million recorded in December 2025. This decline reflects a decreasing momentum in deposit accumulation, with an annual growth rate dropping from 6.5% to 5.3%. The outstanding deposits now stand at €56.9 billion, with Cyprus residents’ deposits alone falling by €767.7 million. In a nuanced breakdown, household deposits experienced a modest uptick of €34.2 million, while non-financial corporations saw a decrease of €469.7 million, and other domestic sectors collectively dropped by €332.2 million.

Expanding Loan Portfolios

In contrast to deposit trends, the credit market has shown marked resilience. Total loans increased by €76.4 million in January 2026, albeit down from the €587.2 million net growth recorded in the previous month. More notably, the annual expansion of total loans accelerated, rising to 11.2% from 10.7%, bringing the current loan portfolio to €26.9 billion. The demand for credit is particularly evident among Cyprus residents, whose loans jumped by €124.2 million. Meanwhile, loans to non-financial corporations only grew by €22.6 million, and household borrowing remained static. Other domestic sectors contributed an additional €101.5 million in new loans.

Implications for Stakeholders

This divergent trend between deposit contraction and loan expansion may compel stakeholders to reassess liquidity and credit risk frameworks. Analysts suggest that while the robust loan growth indicates a healthy appetite for borrowing, the simultaneous decline in deposits could signal liquidity pressures, necessitating tighter risk management strategies among financial institutions.

Conclusion

The evolving financial landscape in Cyprus, marked by a strong loan growth rate and diminishing deposit volumes, presents both opportunities and challenges. As the CBC continues to provide granular insights into these trends, market participants must remain vigilant, balancing growth ambitions with prudent liquidity management.

Meta’s Muse Is Outpacing ChatGPT In Early Mobile Adoption, New Data Suggests

Meta’s new AI app, Muse, may be emerging as one of the company’s strongest consumer launches to date. Fresh estimates from market intelligence firm Apptopia suggest the app has outperformed ChatGPT in early mobile traction, at least in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Apptopia, Muse recorded more downloads in its first 12 days on the market than ChatGPT did during the comparable period after its mobile debut. The comparison, limited to the U.S. and Canada, puts Muse’s iOS downloads at 1.8 million versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same initial window.

A Strong Early Start Across Platforms

In total, Muse has reached 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days, according to the firm. The app’s momentum also appears to be holding. After debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. App Store, Muse has since climbed to No. 1, surpassing ChatGPT, according to reporting from Business Insider. Appfigures had previously estimated that Muse crossed 1 million downloads shortly after launch.

That early rise matters because app-store performance in the first days after launch often signals whether a product can sustain consumer attention beyond initial curiosity. In Meta’s case, the data suggests Muse is not simply benefiting from novelty; it is gaining ground quickly enough to challenge the category leader.

Daily Users Show Similar Momentum

Apptopia’s estimates point to another favorable comparison for Meta: daily usage. In the U.S. alone, Muse is said to have 642,000 daily active users, well above the 231,000 ChatGPT had at the same stage of its mobile rollout.

To make the comparison fairer, Apptopia also narrowed the analysis to iOS only, since ChatGPT launched on iPhone before expanding more broadly. Even under that tighter lens, Muse still comes out ahead, with 359,000 daily active users on iOS compared with ChatGPT’s earlier figure.

Why Meta Has An Advantage

Third-party estimates are not the same as internal company data, and Apptopia cannot see Meta’s proprietary numbers. Still, even directional data suggests Muse may be on track to become a meaningful consumer product for Meta.

That possibility is strengthened by Meta’s distribution advantage. The company has already demonstrated how powerful its ecosystem can be with Threads, which surpassed 500 million users after heavy promotion across Instagram and Facebook. Muse is likely to receive a similar boost, especially because it can connect across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Apptopia does not track Meta’s internal promotion strategy, but its data indicates that more than 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, while 63% are Instagram users. That overlap underscores how effectively Meta can move users across its products when it chooses to prioritize a launch.

The Strategic Test For Meta

For Meta, the early signal from Muse is less about one app’s download count than about whether the company can turn its scale into durable AI adoption. The first test is attention. The harder one is retention.

If Muse can convert early downloads into habitual use, Meta may have found a new front door into its AI ambitions. If not, the app risks becoming another example of how easily mobile hype can spike before settling back down.

Meta, which was asked for comment, has not yet released public figures on Muse’s early adoption.

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