GamesUp42 has grown from a young studio into one of the most dynamic gaming ecosystems operating out of Cyprus, and its story reflects the island’s rapid rise as a destination for global tech builders.

Headquartered in Nicosia, the company now manages more than twenty game titles played by over twenty million people, supported by €45 million invested in products and services and annual revenue that surpasses €100 million.

Yet its scale is only part of the picture. What sets GamesUp42 apart is the combination of creative independence for its studios and a powerful central infrastructure that handles development support, analytics, design, payments, marketing, and publishing with the sophistication of a far larger group.

Cyprus’ commercial property market is becoming more defined this year, as Limassol continues to command premium prices while Nicosia records the most activity, according to a report released on Monday by Landbank Analytics.

The latest analysis sheds light on the leading trends in office and retail property sales across Cyprus for the first half of 2025, showing significant variations in transaction volumes and average prices by district.

The total value of transactions involving offices and shops reached €29.8 million.

This included 128 shop sales worth €19.2m and 51 office sales worth €10.6m.

As the data shows, offices in Nicosia and Limassol took the lead. Nicosia recorded 30 office sales during Q1 2025, followed by Limassol with 13.

Cyprus advanced another action under its national strategy for gender equality this week, as the office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality hosted a two-day workshop for journalists on December 6 and 7 in Troodos.

Journalists from television, print and online outlets attended, reinforcing the strategy’s goal of encouraging more balanced and accurate representation of women and men in public discourse.

Opening the workshop, Gender Equality Commissioner Josie Christodoulou said the media have the power to shape social attitudes and perceptions, and therefore their role in promoting substantive equality is crucial.

Information, she noted, can and should act as a lever for change, helping society move beyond entrenched stereotypes and long-standing prejudices.

Investment company Yoda PLC, listed on the Cyprus Stock Exchange’s New Market (NMD), has that certain of its subsidiaries finalised a series of transactions with Prodea Real Estate Investment Company Société Anonyme to acquire a substantial portfolio of diversified commercial, office, and retail properties in Greece and Italy.

The acquisition involved three distinct deals, adding a significant amount of prime real estate to Yoda’s holdings.

Yoda, through its wholly owned subsidiary VYP Group Ltd (VYP), acquired the entire issued share capital (100 per cent) of Milora Single Member Société Anonyme from Prodea. Milora’s portfolio comprises commercial, office, and retail real estate assets in Greece with a total market value of €676.5 million.

WISTA International marked its participation at the 34th International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Assembly, which concluded in London after 10 days of detailed discussions and planning for the next biennium.

The meeting, held from ending of  November to beginning of December, delivered a series of landmark decisions shaping the IMO’s strategic direction, capacity-building priorities and governance framework for the years ahead.

According to the IMO, delegates adopted 22 resolutions, including the new IMO Capacity Development Strategy, a revised Strategic Plan for 2024–2029 and the results-based budget and work programme for 2026–2027.

As the Assembly closed, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez welcomed what he described as a broad, constructive spirit.

Moreover, he said “Everything placed before this Assembly has been achieved, adopted, or approved.”

Cyprus recorded one of the strongest performances in the European Union in the third quarter of 2025, with seasonally adjusted GDP rising by 0.9 per cent compared with the previous quarter, according to Eurostat.

This followed growth of 0.7 per cent in the second quarter. Year-on-year GDP growth in Cyprus reached 3.6 per cent in both the second and third quarters of 2025, placing the country among the top performers in the bloc.

Meanwhile, across the euro area, GDP increased by 0.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2025. The EU as a whole posted slightly faster quarterly growth of 0.4 per cent.

In the previous quarter, GDP had risen by 0.1 per cent in the euro area and by 0.3 per cent in the EU.

The Cyprus Research and Innovation Centre (CyRIC), as coordinator of the MultiLab project, which operates under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, on Monday announced the successful delivery of its first integrated prototype.

This involves a modular, multi-modal optical lab-on-chip platform designed for low-cost, multipurpose diagnostics and environmental monitoring.

“This milestone marks the transition from component-level research to a fully integrated system combining optics, microfluidics, and data intelligence into a compact, functional prototype,” the announcement said.

CyRIC explained that the MultiLab instrument is unique in its integration of three cutting-edge photonic sensing technologies operating under a shared optical readout system.

The board of state-owned asset management company Kedipes on Monday announced that it has approved the appointment of Onisiforos Onisiforou as an independent non-executive member.

The appointment came into effect on December 1, 2025, following approval by the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) and confirmation by the company’s general assembly.

The organisation said that Onisiforos Onisiforou is a graduate of the University of Manchester, holding a degree in Economics and Social Studies, with a specialisation in accounting, finance and econometrics. He also holds an MBA in Business Administration.

Eurobank on Monday announced that it has been named Bank of the Year 2025 by the internationally recognised magazine The Banker.

According to the announcement, the award “reflects Eurobank’s solid financial results, its competitiveness and attractiveness, and its growing reach across Cyprus”.

It also recognises the bank’s “upgraded and expanded services for customers as it strengthens its presence in retail banking and the small and medium sized enterprise sector”.

The magazine highlighted Eurobank’s continued investment in innovation and digital evolution, areas that the bank considers central to its strategic development.

Cyprus saw a robust rise in electric and hybrid vehicles between January and November 2025, according to figures published on Monday by the state statistical service (Cystat).

The report showed that electric and hybrid cars expanded their presence across the motor market at a pace that outstripped petrol and diesel models.

Specifically, total motor vehicle registrations reached 4,172 in November 2025, marking an increase of 8.4 per cent when compared with the 3,850 registrations recorded in November 2024.

Passenger saloon registrations rose by 9.4 per cent to 3,195 from 2,920 in the same month of the previous year.

Cyprus set out its priorities for the upcoming EU Council Presidency as Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Deputy Minister Nicodemos Damianou joined his European counterparts at the Telecommunications Council in Brussels at the beginning of December.

Ministers from across the bloc gathered for a broad discussion on digital competitiveness, legislative simplification and the implementation of the Digital Services Act.

Over the course of the meeting, ministers adopted Council Conclusions aimed at strengthening Europe’s competitiveness during the Digital Decade.

The document calls for a more coordinated and streamlined regulatory framework that would support faster adoption of new technologies and reinforce the EU’s capacity to innovate.

Eurobank and Petrolina were honoured by the Cyprus-Greece Business Association for investments that are helping expand business relations between the two countries.

According to an announcement released on Monday, the association said that it presented awards to the two companies “in recognition of their role in strengthening bilateral economic ties”.

Eurobank received a distinction for its major investment in Cyprus through the acquisition of Hellenic Bank, while Petrolina was recognised for its expansion in the Greek fuel station market.

The awards were presented during the association’s annual business dinner, an event that this year also carried a commemorative character due to the organisation’s twentieth anniversary.