A significant distinction was awarded at the Startup Ecosystem Awards 2025, organised by StartupBlink, the world’s leading platform for analysing innovation and startup ecosystems.

Cyprus received the “Best Worldwide Climb in the Top 50” award, recording the largest jump—nine places—in the global ranking of startup ecosystems for 2024. This award highlights the country’s dynamic growth and strategic approach to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.

Upon receiving the award, the Director General of the Research & Innovation Foundation (RIF), Theodoros Loukaidis, stated: “Cyprus has made impressive progress in recent years. We are working to further strengthen our position as a regional hub for research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology, acting as a gateway to Europe while offering access to high-growth markets.”

He added, “Cyprus embraces a dynamic approach to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, offering targeted funding programs, tax incentives, and talent attraction initiatives. We are committed to supporting startups and scale-ups in expanding globally by providing financial opportunities and a favourable framework for their success”.

It is worth noting that StartupBlink evaluates over 1,000 cities and 100 countries, based on more than 40 indicators related to innovation, startups, funding flow, and the supportive infrastructure of an ecosystem.

CySEC hosts the IOSCO’s European Regional Committee

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) has hosted a plenary meeting of the International Organization of Securities Commission’s (IOSCO), European Regional Committee (ERC) in Nicosia.

The ERC is one of four regional committees constituted by IOSCO to focus on regional issues related to securities regulation. More than 52 participants attended the meeting on 30 January, with the ERC counting 57 member authorities.

ERC members discussed IOSCO’s priorities and shared experiences on issues of common interest, including retail investor online safety, supervisory technology and other market developments and regulatory initiatives. ERC members also exchanged practical insights into mitigating the risks associated with social media and finfluencers to safeguard retail investors.

Commenting on the meeting, Jean-Paul Servais, ERC Chair and IOSCO Board Chair, said, “IOSCO continues to make progress on several accounts for which the involvement of IOSCO regional committees is key, notably around retail investor protection but also to promote the implementation of globally agreed standards in areas such as sustainable finance and crypto assets. Today’s meeting enabled an insightful dialogue amongst ERC members about global initiatives led by IOSCO. I would like to thank the CySEC and his Chair Dr George Theocharides for the warm welcome and for accommodating the ERC meeting in Nicosia.”

Welcoming IOSCO members and EU regulators to Cyprus, Dr George Theocharides, Chair of CySEC, added, “It is a great honour to be part of this international family that brings together the world’s securities regulators and we were delighted to see so many countries represented here in Cyprus. In tandem with IOSCO’s focus on retail investor protection, CySEC used the occasion to present a new educational document ‘CySEC Investor Guide – The dangers of social media: Unveiling the world of finfluencers’, which highlights CySEC’s ongoing commitment to enhancing financial literacy in Cyprus.”

Source link: https://www.cbn.com.cy/article/2025/1/31/818655/cysec-hosts-the-ioscos-european-regional-committee/