Regulatory Blog

The Cyprus Department of the Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property recently issued a set of key reminders for all companies, partnerships, and European Public Limited Companies that are subject to reporting obligations with respect to the Beneficial Ownership Register in Cyprus.

European Union has issued significant and far-reaching sanctions and restrictive measures on Russia and the Russian Economy. View a table of all the sanctions here

Following the triggering of the snapback mechanism in August 2025 by the UK, Germany and France under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the UN Security Council has now reimposed sanctions on Iran. The EU and the UK have also reimposed their own autonomous measures, which are super-equivalent to the sanctions imposed by the UNSC.

Published in June 2025, the Q2 2025 Statistical Bulletin from the BVI Financial Services Commission highlights key updates in the financial services sector:

On 13 June 2025, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission issued Directive DI 73-2009-05 to regulate Distributed Ledger Technology market infrastructures. This directive aligns with EU Regulation 2022/858, establishing a pilot framework for DLT-based market infrastructures.

The European Union is advancing critical legislative measures to bolster financial stability and boost cross-border cooperation within its financial markets. The European Parliament provided updates to the procedure files for several legislative proposals tied to the review of the EU's bank crisis management and deposit insurance framework.

On 25 September 2025, the UK and Bermuda issued a joint statement reinforcing their commitment to sanctions enforcement. During a meeting in Hamilton, UK Minister for Overseas Territories Stephen Doughty and Bermuda Premier David Burt highlighted Bermuda’s leadership in freezing over $200M in sanctioned assets and ensuring robust compliance with UK sanctions.

On 5 September 2025, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission amended its Directive DI-87-09 for the restriction on the marketing, distribution or sale of Contracts for Differences.

On 4 July 2025, the BVI Financial Services Commission published its newsletter for Q2 of 2025, highlighting its efforts in advancing regulatory frameworks and promoting financial literacy. Here are the key updates:

The Investment Fund Administrators Law marks a pivotal development in the investment funds space in Cyprus, bringing within the scope of regulation persons providing fund administration services. The IFA Law came into effect on 18 June 2025.

The English High Court recently delivered a significant judgment in Thomas, Carter, Nilson v. PJSC National Bank Trust [2025] EWHC 75 (Ch), addressing whether UK sanctions laws would be breached by distributing bankruptcy funds to PJSC National Bank Trust, a Russian bank. This case provides critical guidance for trustees in bankruptcy navigating the complexities of sanctions compliance.

On 11 July 2025, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission issued Circular 722 to inform Crypto-Asset Service Providers and applicants about the European Banking Authority’s No-Action Letter, published on 10 June 2025, regarding the interaction between Directive (EU) 2015/2366 (PSD2) and Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA) in relation to electronic money tokens.