Cyprus is gearing up to exit the bailout programme that was signed with the Troika of international lenders in 2013 and is due to expire in the first quarter of 2016.

The number of tourist arrivals breached the 1 mln level in the first half of 2015, a record in almost a decade, according to official statistics, suggesting that the drop from Russia has been compensated by a an increase from the UK and Germany.

The Mall of Cyprus and the Mall of Engomi are to be sold to South Africa based Atterbury Group after an agreement was reached for their sale, PR manager of Shacolas Group Pavlos Pavlou said recently.

The Bank of Cyprus Group has reached what it describes as another milestone in its deleveraging and de-risking strategy by selling its Russian asset Uniastrum Bank.

A total of 33 operators submitted written expressions of interest for the Limassol port concessions, the permanent secretary of the Transport Ministry and chairman of the Cyprus Ports Authority Alecos Michaelides said recently.

The Law amending the Companies Law CAP 113 N.4 [89(I) /2015] and collectively (the ‘Law’) came into force on 19 June 2015 and brought with it several changes to the current legal regime.

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker recently paid tribute to Cyprus and its people for their commitment to the programme for the recovery of the island's economy.

Ukraine and Cyprus have agreed to review bilateral agreements on taxation to prevent the withdrawal of capital to offshore zones, Ukraine's Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko wrote recently on Facebook.

Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Nicos Kouyialis recently told his EU counterparts in Brussels that Cyprus needs additional support to counter the fallout of the embargo the EU has imposed on Russia.

Representatives of the Cyprus Hotel Association (PASYXE) recently met with technocrats from the Troika to discuss tourist trends and pertinent issues in the industry.