Cyprus’ finance minister says the bailed-out country’s economy will see sufficiently satisfactory growth in 2015 as it emerges from three years of recession.

Low-cost airline Ryanair recently unveiled a new route from Larnaca to Brussels (Zaventem), to operate twice a week starting in January 2016, but couldn’t resist a dig over airport charges in Cyprus, and the Irish airline’s failed bid for the defunct Cyprus Airways.

Shipping is central to Cyprus’ goal to become an energy hub, Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis told Martime Cyprus delegates on the last day of the three-day conference held recently.

In the next few days Cyprus will have an idea of whether a large natural gas reserve recently discovered off the coast of Egypt extends inside the island’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said recently.

Bank of Cyprus is seeking to get “a feeling” on how investors in London would react to a possible security issue which would help the lender repay its outstanding emergency liquidity to the European Central Bank, a bank source said recently.

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) registered binary options broker Eurotrader as a Cyprus Investment Firm (CIF), making it the 16th company to be registered so far in 2015.

Employment in Cyprus expanded by 0.3% year on year in the second quarter of 2015 according to the latest figures from the European statistical service, Eurostat.

The recent discovery of natural gas reserves, as well as the establishment by Vitol partners of a major energy storage hub near Limassol, have created new opportunities for companies such as Vasiliko Terminal Services, a sister company of Lavar Shipping.

Hellenic Bank recently confirmed reports that it is in talks with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) over a stake in Hellenic’s share capital.

Cyprus aims to attract Chinese high tech giants to invest in the first science and technology park in Pentakomo, on the southern coast of the island, while the two countries are working to promote bilateral cooperation between universities, academic institutions and companies.