2020 Cyprus Country Report

Capital Markets
Sector Profile
BUILDING A
Dynamic Market
The capital markets landscape in Cyprus has seen development over the
last few years, supported by the country’s strong professional services
sector and a growing investment funds industry. As a regional market
with personalised service, Cyprus’ offering is increasingly sought after by
international businesses seeking a cost-effective way to diversify their portfolios
and tap into the capital markets of the EU and emerging niche markets.
Cyprus’ appeal as a listing jurisdiction
is steadily growing due to its
cost-effectiveness, investor-friendly
and transparent tax framework,
European ‘passport’ for issuing,
euro currency, and the free transfer
of funds and offer of securities. The
country has set its focus on building
a reputation as a key listing jurisdiction for
other emerging markets and to establish itself as
a convenient gateway into the European capital
market. At the heart of these efforts is the Cyprus
Stock Exchange (CSE). The Exchange has positioned
itself as an essential growth lever for the
further development of the Cyprus economy,
and has continuously been launching initiatives
and new boutique services to attract more participants
and satisfy discerning market demands.
Taking into consideration the need for local
companies, and the Cyprus economy in general,
to recover from the negative effects of the Covid-
19 pandemic, the key goal for the CSE in 2020
is to strengthen its role within the economy as a
vital capital raising tool to enable companies and
institutions to expand their activities. Equally important
in this quest is to attract new companies
to list their securities on the CSE’s markets thus
providing new investment opportunities. The
CSE has numerous strengths and offers multiple
advantages. The Exchange provides all basic securities’
operations, such as listing, trading, clearing
and settlement, as well as registry services.
The Exchange also operates within an advanced
legal and regulatory framework, complying with
all EU Directives and internationally accepted securities’
practices.
TAPPING INTO MARKETS
The Exchange currently operates a Regulated
Market and a Multilateral Trading Facility – the
Emerging Companies Market (ECM) – for shares
KEY
contacts
Cyprus Securities and
Exchange Commission
www.cysec.gov.cy
Ministry of Finance
www.mof.gov.cy
Cyprus Stock Exchange
www.cse.com.cy
62 Country Report CYPRUS 2020