Cypriot businesses are facing the new year with optimism as regards prospects for growth but remain concerned over red tape and energy prices, the chamber of commerce (Keve) said recently.

A DBRS credit agency insights newsletter which takes a look into the European Central Bank’s asset purchase programme reports that Cypriot government debt securities account for only 4% of €2.1 trillion public sector asset holdings the ECB had at the end of 2018.

On the last trading session of December 2018 the General Index reached 66,77 points, representing a relative decrease of 0,07% from the previous month.

Nissi beach in Ayia Napa ranks 25th on a world’s top 50 city beaches list by Canada’s largest online travel agency Flight Network.

Hermes Airports, which manages and controls the two International Airports of the Republic of Cyprus, Larnaca and Paphos, has acquired the Level 3 of the ACA Certification for the reduction of its carbon dioxide emissions, just one year after the acquisition of the ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 2.

The net demand for loans in Cyprus, both by enterprises and households, increased in the third quarter of 2018, while loan criteria for all categories remained unchanged.

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Cyprus at end of January 2019 for the EuroMed7 meeting of seven Mediterranean countries, members of the EU, namely Cyprus, Greece, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.

Cyprus’ creditworthiness is expected to be evaluated eight times in 2019, according to the next assessments scheduled by credit rating agencies.

The share of Cypriots with a tertiary level of educational attainment is among the highest in the EU, a Eurostat study found.

The government will continue to strengthen and deepen the current positive economic growth spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said recently, after the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) predicted that Cyprus’ economy will continue to grow at an approximate 3% rate until 2021.