Investment firm Demetra Holdings Plc announced on Thursday that it recently purchased 3,890 of its own shares as part of an ongoing share buyback programme.

The transaction was carried out on October 27, 2026, through the Cyprus Investment & Securities Corporation Ltd (CISCO).

Demetra Holdings acquired the shares at a price of €1.335 per share.

The share buyback was executed pursuant to the relevant regulations of the Cyprus Stock Exchange and the circulars of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission.

The acquisition followed authorisation granted by shareholders during the company’s annual general meeting on June 30, 2026.

Solidus Securities will distribute a gross interim dividend of €1.32 million to shareholders in November 2026, following a unanimous decision by the company’s board on Thursday.

The dividend amounts to €0.25984252 per share, before tax withholding, according to the investment services company’s announcement.

Shareholders registered in the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) register on November 20, 2026, will be entitled to receive the interim dividend.

The company’s shares will trade without the right to the dividend from November 19, meaning investors buying shares from that date will not qualify for the payment.

Investors who purchase shares by the close of trading on November 18, the final date on which shares will trade with the dividend entitlement, will qualify for the distribution.

Entitlement will also extend to investors who receive securities through an over-the-counter transfer completed by the November 20 record date.

The dividend will be paid to eligible shareholders on November 25, 2026.

The Cyprus Trading Corporation (CTC) on Thursday announced a series of management changes across its businesses, including a new board chairman from January 2027 and appointments to senior financial and operational roles taking effect from November 1, 2026.

The changes are intended to strengthen the group’s management structure and support its next phase of development and growth across its main areas of activity.

Christakis Charalambous will become non-executive chairman of the board on January 1, 2027, succeeding Demetris Demetriou, who will remain a member of the board.

Charalambous is already a board member and chairman of the board executive committee. He also serves on the board of Hermes Airports, the Nicosia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Evel) and the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (Oev).

The board expressed its appreciation to Demetriou for his contribution during his tenure as chairman.

The board executive committee currently comprises Charalambous, Eleni Shacola, Chrysoula Shacola and George Louca.

A further change will see Maria Kaimi, the group’s internal legal adviser, become company secretary on January 1, 2027, succeeding George Mitsides.

The board also thanked Mitsides for his many years of service to the group.

From November 1, 2026, Louca, currently group finance and IT director, will take on the newly combined role of chief financial and operating officer (CFOO).

The position brings together the traditionally separate responsibilities of chief financial officer and chief operating officer, with the aim of integrating financial planning, resource allocation and operational efficiency across the group.

Louca will report to the board executive committee while retaining his positions as a board member of CTC, Woolworth and Ermes, as well as his membership of the board executive committee.

Argyro Efstathiou, currently chief financial officer and chief operating officer of the group’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) operations, will become CTC group finance director on November 1.

Her current responsibilities cover Argosy Trading Company, Cassandra Trading and Artview, and she will report to Louca in his new role.

Antonis Hadjilazarou, currently chief commercial officer of the group’s FMCG operations, will become chief executive officer of FMCG from November 1.

Ariadne Samuel will take up the position of FMCG chief financial officer on the same date, reporting to Hadjilazarou.

Samuel is a chartered accountant with professional experience at a leading audit firm and in the FMCG sector.

Together with George Kozakos, chief executive of CTC Automotive, the appointments are intended to reinforce management across the group’s principal businesses and support further expansion in Cyprus.

CTC said its companies had strong market positions, extensive expertise and significant opportunities for further growth in the domestic market.

Argosy Trading Company imports, distributes and manages fast-moving consumer goods, as well as products for the food service and hospitality sector, known as HORECA.

Through its nationwide distribution network, it serves almost the entire retail and HORECA market in Cyprus, supplying products from multinational companies including Mars, Kellogg’s, Mondelez, Reckitt, JDE, Danone, Melissa and Dodoni.

Cassandra Trading imports and distributes Philip Morris International tobacco products in Cyprus.

Its portfolio includes conventional tobacco products, such as cigarettes and rolling tobacco, as well as newer products including heated tobacco sticks, IQOS heated tobacco devices and vaping products.

Artview operates in the cosmetics and fragrances sector, managing the Christian Dior and Diptyque brands in the Cyprus market.

CTC Automotive markets and distributes vehicles and heavy machinery, including Volvo Cars, Hyundai, Iveco, Scania and Caterpillar.

Its portfolio also includes Michelin, Riken and BFGoodrich tyres, Total and Elf lubricants, Hilti tools and related products and services.

The company also operates CTC Autoleasing, which provides leasing for vehicles and light commercial vehicles.

CTC also maintains its investment in Hermes Airports, which develops and manages Larnaca and Paphos international airports.

The group said it remained committed to creating long-term value for all stakeholders through sustainable growth.

The TechIsland TechPro Community will hold its fourth meetup on November 3, 2026 in Limassol, bringing together professionals working at the core of Cyprus’ technology sector for an evening of discussion, knowledge exchange and networking.

The community was created by TechIsland, the largest technology association on the island, as a dedicated platform for CTOs, CIOs, CISOs, technology architects, software developers, DevOps and platform engineers, data and AI specialists, cybersecurity professionals, UX experts and digital transformation leaders.

Its purpose is to give these professionals a space to meet peers outside their own organisations, exchange practical experience, discuss the challenges they are facing and build stronger connections across Cyprus’ technology ecosystem.

Following three meetups earlier this year, the community will come together with a programme combining a focused panel discussion with informal networking over drinks and bites.

At the centre of the evening will be the panel ‘Inside the Vault: Building Secure Systems for Digital Assets & Data’.

The discussion will take a practical look at how organisations protect what matters most, from customer data and production databases to API credentials, encryption keys, sensitive information and digital assets, while still enabling teams to move fast and keeping systems manageable in practice.

Joining the panel will be Anastasiia Sanina, Head of B2B Partnerships at The Vault, Denis Rybin, Director of Information Security at inDrive, Ingrid Camilleri, Chief Digital Officer at Cablenet, and Igor Bulatenko, Head of Information Security at Exness.

The conversation will be led by Andreas Neocleous, Chief Consulting Officer at PwC Cyprus, who will bring the speakers’ different perspectives together and guide the discussion around the practical decisions technology and security teams face.

The 4th TechIsland TechPro Community Meetup, powered by The Vault, will take place from 19.00 to 21.00.

Attendance is free of charge, including drinks and bites, but registration is required.

Those interested can register here.

WISTA International has grown beyond 6,500 members, extending its influence across global shipping as it looks to bring more women into an industry where senior positions and careers at sea remain overwhelmingly male-dominated.

President Elpi Petraki outlined the association’s achievements over the past year at its Annual General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur this week, emphasising growing membership, closer ties with international maritime organisations and new opportunities for companies to become involved.

The meeting formed part of the WISTA International AGM and Conference 2026, taking place from October 28 to 30 under the theme ‘Bridging Borders, Driving Change: Asia Shaping the Future of Maritime and Trade’.

Co-hosted by WISTA Malaysia, WISTA Singapore and WISTA Hong Kong SAR China, the gathering brings together shipping executives, policymakers and industry professionals to examine the future of maritime trade, technology, sustainability and leadership.

For Petraki, the past 12 months have been particularly busy, with WISTA strengthening its relationships with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the United Nations, while taking a more active role in initiatives affecting the industry’s workforce.

Among those emphasised in her annual report were the Women in Transport EU Platform for Change, the UN Maritime Just Transition Task Force and UN Trade and Development’s TrainForTrade Port Management Programme.

WISTA has also continued working alongside the IMO on projects designed to improve opportunities for women across the maritime sector, from education and professional development to participation in industry decision-making.

Training has remained a particularly important part of that work. Through its partnership with the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, WISTA continues to offer scholarships that help members develop specialist shipping knowledge and commercial skills.

The arrangement, established in 2017, provides for five scholarships annually towards the Institute’s Foundation Diploma, covering subjects ranging from chartering and ship operations to maritime finance and port management.

Another programme has already delivered results this year. The IMO-WISTA-World Maritime University Gender-inclusive Leadership in Maritime Programme brought together 23 maritime professionals from 18 countries in 2026, combining online training with a residential course in Malmo, Sweden.

WISTA sponsored four participants, with the programme concentrating on leadership, project management, communication and the practical challenges of improving gender equality in maritime workplaces.

Meanwhile, the association has taken another step towards widening its membership by introducing a new category for businesses and institutions.

The associate membership scheme, formally launched in September, allows organisations involved in shipping, ports, logistics, transport, trading and energy to join WISTA’s international network even where they cannot become members through a national association.

Eligible organisations must operate in at least two countries and can nominate up to three representatives to participate in national WISTA activities.

To encourage participation, WISTA is offering complimentary membership until the end of 2026 to eligible organisations applying before December 31.

Petraki also reported the approval of two new members during the AGM.

Speaking when the new membership scheme was launched in September, she explained that interest from companies wishing to support WISTA had been increasing, although the existing structure had not always provided a suitable route.

“Broader collaboration with those sharing our vision is critical when tackling diversity and inclusion, as there is no one size fits all approach,” Petraki said.

The expansion comes as the maritime industry continues to face uncomfortable questions about how effectively it is attracting and retaining women.

According to the latest IMO-WISTA survey, published in May 2025, women accounted for just under 19 per cent of the maritime workforce surveyed, falling to 16 per cent in the private sector, excluding seafarers.

The situation at sea was considerably worse, with women representing just 1 per cent of seafarers employed by the organisations surveyed.

Those figures help explain why WISTA is putting so much effort into education, recruitment and leadership development, rather than relying on greater visibility alone.

Petraki herself addressed the wider challenge in an article published earlier this month, arguing that “inclusion is not about replacing men with women”, but about recognising the skills and experience available throughout the workforce.

The Kuala Lumpur conference is also examining these questions from a commercial perspective, with ICS Secretary General Thomas Kazakos among the leading speakers.

The programme includes discussions on building a future-ready maritime workforce, linking ships and ports with international trade and strengthening cooperation across the industry.

IMO programme officer Mariana Noceti and ICS director of employment affairs Helio Vicente are among those contributing to the workforce discussions, while a dedicated Women at Sea session gives female seafarers an opportunity to share their experiences and examine the obstacles that remain.

Cyprus has its own strong connection to WISTA’s international development. The island hosted the association’s 50th anniversary AGM and Conference in Limassol in October 2024, welcoming more than 350 delegates from the shipping, trading and logistics industries.

Petraki was re-elected president during that gathering, continuing a leadership history that includes former international president Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou of WISTA Cyprus.

The Cypriot association, currently led by Anna Pittalis, has remained active in promoting professional development, mentoring and greater female participation across the island’s maritime businesses.

Vassiliko Cement Works Public Company Ltd shareholders on Thursday unanimously approved a special resolution authorising the company’s board to buy back its own shares over the next 12 months, subject to limits on the number of shares acquired and the prices paid.

Under the decision, approved during an extraordinary general meeting, the board is now authorised to acquire shares in the company during the 12-month period following the meeting.

The number of shares acquired must not exceed 10 per cent of the company’s issued share capital or 25 per cent of the average value of transactions traded on the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) during the 30 days preceding each purchase, whichever limit is lower.

The resolution also stipulates that the company may hold any shares it buys back for a maximum period of two years.

The maximum purchase price for the shares must not exceed the average market price of the company’s shares over the five trading sessions preceding the relevant purchase by more than 5 per cent.

No minimum purchase price has been set. Any payments for the shares must be made from realised and undistributed profits.

Finally, the resolution also authorises the company secretary to take all necessary steps to implement the decisions approved by shareholders.

Cyprus-listed holding company iDNA Genomics Public Ltd announced on Thursday through the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) that the trustee of its corporate bonds has resigned from the position.

The resignation concerns the bonds with international securities identification number CY0240422119 and trading code iDNAB28.

The trustee stepped down from the post in accordance with the provisions outlined in the Trust Deed dated January 18, 2023.

The departure became effective upon the expiry of the prescribed notice period set out in the governing agreement.

Under the terms of the Trust Deed, the power to appoint a replacement rests solely with the company, the announcement mentioned.

Despite efforts made by the firm to date, the procedure to appoint a new trustee has not yet been completed, it added.

The company said that it is continuing its efforts to select a suitable entity to assume the trust responsibilities.

Bondholders are being kept informed as the organisation works to finalise the appointment of a successor.

The company stated that it will make a further announcement as soon as there is a significant development regarding the matter.

Cyprus may have won over Lonely Planet with its winter sunshine, but the cost of enjoying it tells a rather less flattering story, with Paphos proving considerably more expensive than several rival Mediterranean destinations.

The island has been named one of Europe’s ten best winter-sun escapes by the international travel publication, just as separate research by Britain’s Post Office Travel Money puts Paphos 14th among 24 destinations worldwide for value.

And while Cyprus may not be winning the battle on price, it has been collecting some impressive international endorsements of its own, from American travel writers to European tourism rankings.

In its latest guide, released earlier this week, Lonely Planet describes Cyprus as ‘Best for the warmest Mediterranean winter’, placing it fifth among ten recommended European destinations.

Travel writer Emma Sparks draws attention to the island’s mild weather, archaeological treasures and contrasting landscapes, from the flamingos at Larnaca Salt Lake to the snow-covered Troodos mountains.

It is welcome international exposure, particularly for a country looking to attract visitors beyond the traditional summer holiday season.

The financial comparison, though, is less encouraging.

According to the Post Office’s winter-sun research, a standard basket of eight holiday purchases costs £98.02 in Paphos, against £87.46 in Tenerife and £82.35 in Portugal’s Algarve.

That makes Paphos around 12 per cent more expensive than Tenerife and 19 per cent dearer than the Algarve, while Spain’s Costa del Sol comes in at £83.58 and Lanzarote at £93.82.

Malta’s Sliema and Rhodes also offer slightly lower prices, at £96.36 and £97.75 respectively. Of the eight European resorts surveyed, only Funchal in Madeira is more expensive, at £129.63.

The research, released in September and subsequently reported by international publications including Time Out, examines everyday holiday purchases, including drinks, suncream, insect repellent and a three-course evening meal for two with wine.

Flights, accommodation and transport are excluded, so the findings do not represent the total cost of a holiday. They do, however, offer a useful comparison of what visitors can expect to spend once they arrive.

A separate 2026 Family Holiday Report, produced by the Post Office with TUI, paints a similar picture, putting a basket of family holiday purchases at £177.18 in Paphos, compared with £158.31 in Tenerife and £139.65 in the Algarve.

Although the two surveys cover different periods and shopping baskets, both show Cyprus facing stiff competition from established European holiday destinations.

But price is not the only measure of a destination’s appeal, and Cyprus has some impressive figures in its favour.

According to the European Environment Agency’s latest bathing water assessment, published in June, Cyprus came first among European countries for the proportion of bathing sites rated excellent, with all 123 monitored locations meeting the highest classification for the 2025 season.

That compares with an EU average of 84.8 per cent, while Greece recorded 97.1 per cent, Spain 86.6 per cent and Portugal 82 per cent.

The results are based on European standards for microbiological bathing water quality, rather than a broader assessment of environmental conditions. Nevertheless, they give Cyprus a measurable advantage in an area that matters to holidaymakers.

And the island’s appeal is attracting attention well beyond Europe.

In June, American magazine Travel + Leisure, which had already included Cyprus among its 50 best places to visit in 2026, published a feature by travel writer Joe Baur exploring a side of the country that many international visitors rarely see.

Rather than concentrating on its beaches, Baur took readers along the island’s 347-mile E4 hiking trail, through the Akamas peninsula and into communities where traditional crafts, food production and local history are becoming part of the visitor experience.

The feature described Cyprus as something of an undiscovered destination for American travellers, drawing attention to opportunities for outdoor tourism and experiences beyond the established resorts.

For local businesses, this kind of international coverage has particular value. Walking holidays, cultural excursions and visits to rural communities create potential customers for guides, restaurants, producers and other smaller enterprises that may otherwise see little of the spending generated by mass tourism.

The interest has not stopped there. Earlier this month, National Geographic Traveller published an extensive feature by Orla Thomas on the Troodos mountains, examining the region’s wineries, walking routes, traditional villages and local crafts.

The article presented the mountains as a destination in their own right, offering an alternative to the island’s better-known coastal attractions.

It is another example of international travel coverage giving attention to parts of the Cypriot economy that have traditionally received far less exposure than the main holiday resorts.

Meanwhile, Nicosia has also earned a place in the international travel conversation.

The capital was named Europe’s top cultural destination for 2026 by the European Best Destinations platform, finishing ahead of Florence and Vienna in an assessment combining expert evaluations with traveller ratings.

The recognition was reported by Euronews, which also highlighted Nicosia’s position as an emerging city-break destination.

In a separate European Best Destinations ranking released in February, Nicosia took second place overall, behind Madrid.

These are tourism-platform rankings rather than official European Union awards, but they offer further evidence that international interest in Cyprus extends well beyond the familiar promise of a summer holiday.

For the country’s tourism businesses, the distinction matters.

Higher prices do not necessarily mean poor value. Travellers may be prepared to spend more for better service, distinctive experiences or a destination offering something they cannot easily find elsewhere. And although international recognition does not guarantee additional bookings, it gives Cyprus another selling point in a crowded market.

There is also a wider economic opportunity in attracting visitors whose spending reaches beyond accommodation and beachside businesses, supporting local food producers, cultural attractions, specialist guides and enterprises in the island’s towns and villages.

The challenge is turning that international interest into genuine commercial returns, rather than simply adding another award or favourable review to the destination’s promotional material. With competition for holiday spending remaining intense, Cyprus needs to make a convincing case for what visitors get in return for their money.