Sports media platform Tribuna.com co-founder Dmitry Navosha has shared his story with the Cyprus Mail in an in-depth interview covering the company’s transformation from Ukraine’s leading sports media outlet into a global digital platform, a journey marked by war, relocation, and reinvention.

Speaking candidly, Navosha explains how the Russian invasion of Ukraine upended the lives of his team, forcing them to seek stability and opportunity abroad. Cyprus emerged as their new base of operations, offering a supportive regulatory framework, a vibrant tech and media ecosystem, and a welcoming community.

From rebuilding the business after losing over 90 per cent of revenue to launching a new global app and engaging with local initiatives, Navosha outlines how Tribuna.com is positioning itself as a serious rival to the world’s largest sports media players.

Safe Bulkers Inc., listed on the New York Stock Exchange and led by Cypriot CEO Polys V. Hajioannou, has announced the launch of its 5th Annual Scholarship Programme for the academic year 2025–2026, as part of its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) policy.

The company said the initiative is designed to support Cypriot and Greek citizens settled in Cyprus who wish to pursue careers in the maritime industry. 

According to the announcement, ten scholarships worth €10,000 each will be awarded.  

The programme is open to students graduating from educational institutions in Cyprus (Lyceum) as well as those already attending universities in Greece, the United Kingdom and abroad. Awards will be based on both academic merit and financial need.

The Finance Ministry on Monday announced that the public consultation on the package of bills concerning the planned tax reform has been extended.

In a post on social media platform X, the ministry said that the consultation period, which was due to conclude on August 25, 2025, will now continue until September 10, 2025.

According to the announcement, the decision was taken following requests from interested stakeholders, in order to allow more time for the submission of views and proposals.

More than 50,000 property sales in Cyprus have already been transferred to third-country nationals this year, with Paphos taking the lead, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou told parliament.

Specifically, 53,076 transfers were completed nationwide by July 7, 2025, the minister mentioned.

Of these, 20,755 took place in Paphos, 17,083 in Limassol, 9,175 in Larnaca, 3,509 in Famagusta, and 2,554 in Nicosia, according to the Department of Lands and Surveys (DLS).

A further 29,089 sales contracts have been filed but await transfer, bringing the total properties moving into foreign hands to 82,165, including 9,470 pending in Paphos, 7,297 in Larnaca, 7,208 in Limassol, 4,225 in Famagusta, and 899 in Nicosia.

Baker Tilly South East Europe (BTSEE) on Monday confirmed the completion of its merger with professional services firm MHA, in a deal valued at €24 million.

This follows an announcement originally made on August 11, 2025, to the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

MHA, which has 23 offices across the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Cayman Islands, had first signalled its intention to merge with BTSEE on May 7, 2025.

BTSEE is a provider of audit, tax, advisory, legal and corporate solutions, with 12 partners and more than 400 professionals operating from seven offices across Cyprus, Greece and the wider South-East Europe region.

Cyprus, one of the world’s leading registries alongside Malta, has been warned that seafarers’ shore leave is becoming rare, short and, in some cases, non-existent, according to a global survey of 5,879 crew members from 121 countries by the World Maritime University.

Overall, 26.7 per cent of respondents had no shore leave at all during their contract, while 68.7 per cent said they never or rarely went ashore.  

For those who managed to disembark, the average was just 3.5 times per month, and only 2.2 per cent went ashore more than 15 times in total.  

Even then, 93.5 per cent spent less than six hours ashore, with almost half staying under three hours. 

The main reasons cited were lack of time in port, at 65.4 per cent, and heavy workload, at 53.3 per cent. In addition, high transport costs, reported by 48.6 per cent, and the remoteness of port facilities, mentioned by 44.9 per cent, were also key obstacles.

The World Bank’s latest Global Findex Database shows that mobile phones and the internet are transforming financial inclusion worldwide, making digital financial services more accessible, affordable, and widely used.

Launched in 2011, the Global Findex is the world’s only demand-side survey on financial inclusion and a leading source of data on how adults across different economies access and use financial services.

The fifth edition of the database highlights trends such as the rise of digital financial services and the narrowing gender gap in account ownership.

Digital platforms are enabling people to make savings deposits, manage loans, and even purchase renewable electricity from their phones, demonstrating the growing role of mobile technology in financial management.

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) has issued a warning to investors concerning a series of websites that are not authorised to provide investment services or perform investment activities.

CySEC said that the websites in question do not belong to any entity which has been granted authorisation under the relevant legislation.

The regulator identified the following websites: solartecna.com, lucrativeedges.com, optramarket.com, harvestsphereonline.com, pehjosf.com, weekend-fx.com, irafloxi.com, evpmarketgroup.com, aintelligence24.com, wrc1.com, wrpro.com, primeinvests.eu, fxmaple.com, fxmarketstrade.com, derivinvestments.com, 24yield.com and xmarketcoin.com.

CySEC urged investors to take precautions before engaging in any transactions with online platforms.

The Finance Ministry has formally designated the authorities responsible for ensuring compliance with the European Union’s digital operational resilience rules in the financial sector.

The announcement, published in the Official Gazette on August 14, 2025, refers to the implementation of EU Regulation 2022/2554 and amendments to previous financial regulations.

The ministry clarified that the measures cover insurers, reinsurers, pension funds, investment firms, payment institutions, and other financial entities operating in Cyprus.

“The Superintendent of Occupational Retirement Benefit Funds will oversee professional pension institutions,” the ministry said.

The non-performing loans (NPL) ratio of the Cypriot banking sector remained steady at 5.9 per cent in May, when compared with April 2025, the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) said in a statement on Monday.

Moreover, the bank said that the coverage ratio of NPLs by impairment provisions increased to 61.0 per cent at the end of May 2025, up from 60.7 per cent at the end of April 2025.

Cyprus’ construction materials price index recorded a year-on-year increase of 1.19 per cent in July, according to a report released on Monday by the state statistical service.

Specifically, the construction materials price index for July 2025 stood at 119.04 points, based on 2021 as the benchmark year set at 100 points, marking a negligible rise of 0.01 per cent compared with the previous month.

When compared with the same month last year, the index recorded an increase of 1.19 per cent.

The Cyprus Ports Authority (CPA) has completed the certification process for its department of ports regulatory affairs management under the internationally recognised CYS EN ISO 9001:2015 standard, it announced on Monday.

According to the statement, the certification was awarded by the Cyprus Certification Company (CCC) under the general regulation for the evaluation and certification of quality systems.

It is also internationally recognised through the international certification network (IQNET), the world’s largest network of certification bodies, thereby ensuring global credibility.

According to the authority, the certification reaffirms its commitment to quality, transparency and continuous improvement, while further consolidating its role as the regulatory and supervisory authority of the port sector in Cyprus.  

Moreover, through a structured and transparent framework of procedures, it ensures that port operations are conducted in line with international best practices, safety standards and compliance principles.