Major investors and developers will be in Limassol for the Cyprus Investors Summit 2015 aimed at attracting funds for projects and boosting the foreign direct investments beyond the €3.2bln raised in the past two years.

The Finance Ministry maintains its 0.4% economic growth forecast for 2015, following three years of economic contraction in a challenging environment both at home and abroad.

Nine schemes worth €75 million will be announced in 2015 by the Commerce Ministry in an attempt to boost liquidity in the economy, said Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, the Commerce Minister.

Cyprus and Ireland could and will cooperate further on issues of agriculture and the environment, Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Minister Nicos Kouyialis said recently.

Minister of Energy George Lakkotrypis has participated in a high level EU conference on the Energy Union organized by the current EU presidency, Latvia, and the European Commission.

Cyprus saw its trade deficit widen to almost €3.7 billion in 2014 from €3.2 billion in 2013, on increased imports and declining exports, the statistical service said recently.

President Nicos Anastasiades has expressed his wish to see the implementation of the long-pending National Health Scheme (NHS) during his tenure, noting that the NHS has been the subject of study for several years and the relevant legislation was approved in 2001.

Per capita income in purchasing power parities (PPP) was €23,600 in 2013, the Ministry of Finance said recently in an announcement.

In line with the strategy it announced in 2014, Barclays Bank in Cyprus will be closing international banking accounts held in London, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man, belonging to Cyprus residents and with a balance less than a minimum £100,000.

Home and company deposit and lending rates went up in December 2014 according to relevant Central Bank data, with the businesses rate remaining stable.