CySEC Reports €1.9Bn as 2020 Annual Income by Cyprus’ Investment Firms
- CySEC provides insights concerning Cyprus Investment Firms (CIF).
- The report helps clients, partners and associates to avoid business risks.

On December 20, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Exchange An exchange is known as a marketplace that supports the trading of derivatives, commodities, securities, and other financial instruments.Generally, an exchange is accessible through a digital platform or sometimes at a tangible address where investors organize to perform trading. Among the chief responsibilities of an exchange would be to uphold honest and fair-trading practices. These are instrumental in making sure that the distribution of supported security rates on that exchange are effectively relevant with real-time pricing.Depending upon where you reside, an exchange may be referred to as a bourse or a share exchange while, as a whole, exchanges are present within the majority of countries. Who is Listed on an Exchange?As trading continues to transition more to electronic exchanges, transactions become more dispersed through varying exchanges. This in turn has caused a surge in the implementation of trading algorithms and high-frequency trading applications. In order for a company to be listed on a stock exchange for example, a company must divulge information such as minimum capital requirements, audited earnings reports, and financial reports.Not all exchanges are created equally, with some outperforming other exchanges significantly. The most high-profile exchanges to date include the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and the Nasdaq. Outside of trading, a stock exchange may be used by companies aiming to raise capital, this is most commonly seen in the form of initial public offerings (IPOs).Exchanges can now handle other asset classes, given the rise of cryptocurrencies as a more popularized form of trading. An exchange is known as a marketplace that supports the trading of derivatives, commodities, securities, and other financial instruments.Generally, an exchange is accessible through a digital platform or sometimes at a tangible address where investors organize to perform trading. Among the chief responsibilities of an exchange would be to uphold honest and fair-trading practices. These are instrumental in making sure that the distribution of supported security rates on that exchange are effectively relevant with real-time pricing.Depending upon where you reside, an exchange may be referred to as a bourse or a share exchange while, as a whole, exchanges are present within the majority of countries. Who is Listed on an Exchange?As trading continues to transition more to electronic exchanges, transactions become more dispersed through varying exchanges. This in turn has caused a surge in the implementation of trading algorithms and high-frequency trading applications. In order for a company to be listed on a stock exchange for example, a company must divulge information such as minimum capital requirements, audited earnings reports, and financial reports.Not all exchanges are created equally, with some outperforming other exchanges significantly. The most high-profile exchanges to date include the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and the Nasdaq. Outside of trading, a stock exchange may be used by companies aiming to raise capital, this is most commonly seen in the form of initial public offerings (IPOs).Exchanges can now handle other asset classes, given the rise of cryptocurrencies as a more popularized form of trading. Read this Term Commission ( CySEC CySEC The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) is a financial regulatory authority of Cyprus. CySEC is one of the key watchdog authorities for brokerages in Europe, whose financial regulations and operations comply with the European MiFID financial harmonization law.Founded in 2001, CySEC is instrumental in providing licensing and registration for forex brokers and previously binary options providers.CySEC is responsible for a variety of different functions, which includes the supervision and control of the Cyprus Stock Exchange as well as transactions executed in the Stock Exchange, its listed companies, brokers and brokerage firms.Furthermore, the regulator also supervises and monitors Licensed Investment Services Companies, Collective Investment funds, investment consultants. and mutual fund management companies.CySEC’s Role in Combatting Market AbuseOne of CySEC’s most important functions is the granting of operation licenses to investment firms, including investment consultants, brokerage firms and brokers. This includes provisions for Cyprus Investment Firms (CIF), who provide and perform investment services and activities either within Cyprus or abroad on a professional basis on certain financial instruments.Finally, CySEC oversees the imposition of administrative sanctions and disciplinary penalties to brokers, brokerage firms, and investment consultants, among others. The group has been a key force in policing the forex and binary options space, which has included several legal actions and curb market abuse. Since 2016, CySEC has sought to take a more aggressive stance against illicit behavior, while also strengthening its handling of investor complaints against entities. CySEC is currently chaired by Demetra Kalogerou, who has held the role since 2011.The CySEC is administered by a seven-member Board, which consist of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, each of whom provide their services on a full and exclusive employment basis, and five additional non-executive members.All individuals on CySEC’s Board are appointed by the Council of Ministers following a proposal of the Minister of Finance. Their service reflects a five-year term. The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) is a financial regulatory authority of Cyprus. CySEC is one of the key watchdog authorities for brokerages in Europe, whose financial regulations and operations comply with the European MiFID financial harmonization law.Founded in 2001, CySEC is instrumental in providing licensing and registration for forex brokers and previously binary options providers.CySEC is responsible for a variety of different functions, which includes the supervision and control of the Cyprus Stock Exchange as well as transactions executed in the Stock Exchange, its listed companies, brokers and brokerage firms.Furthermore, the regulator also supervises and monitors Licensed Investment Services Companies, Collective Investment funds, investment consultants. and mutual fund management companies.CySEC’s Role in Combatting Market AbuseOne of CySEC’s most important functions is the granting of operation licenses to investment firms, including investment consultants, brokerage firms and brokers. This includes provisions for Cyprus Investment Firms (CIF), who provide and perform investment services and activities either within Cyprus or abroad on a professional basis on certain financial instruments.Finally, CySEC oversees the imposition of administrative sanctions and disciplinary penalties to brokers, brokerage firms, and investment consultants, among others. The group has been a key force in policing the forex and binary options space, which has included several legal actions and curb market abuse. Since 2016, CySEC has sought to take a more aggressive stance against illicit behavior, while also strengthening its handling of investor complaints against entities. CySEC is currently chaired by Demetra Kalogerou, who has held the role since 2011.The CySEC is administered by a seven-member Board, which consist of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, each of whom provide their services on a full and exclusive employment basis, and five additional non-executive members.All individuals on CySEC’s Board are appointed by the Council of Ministers following a proposal of the Minister of Finance. Their service reflects a five-year term. Read this Term), a major regulatory body in Cyprus, posted the annual income generated by investment companies in the country over the previous year. According to the newly released annual statistical bulletin for 2020, the total number of authorized entities reduced by 1% between 2019 and 2020 (from 494 in 2019 to 490 in 2020). Such a decrease originated from the number of Cyprus administrative service providers (from 153 in 2019 to 146 in 2020). During 2020, the authorized regulated entities (460 firms), where the data was collected, totaled around 94% of the total of authorized firms.
Furthermore, during 2020, the income generated from the activities of Cyprus Investment firms (CIFs) amounted to €1.9 billion, while Net income amounted to €0.3 billion. That year witnessed the largest amount of trading and net income. The Trading Income and the Net Income saw 65% and 51% year-on-year increase between 2019 and 2020, respectively. Between 2018 and 2019, the total number CIFs customers witnessed a significant decrease of around 33%. However, between 2019 and 2020, the number of clients of such companies saw a significant increase of around 34%. Overall, there were 1,587,300 total clients for all CIFs at the end of 2020.

Source: CYSECAnnual Statistical Bulletin 01/01/20 to31/12/20
Likewise, the total number of employees working in all CIFs have seen an increase over the years. For instance, the total number of employees reached 5,408 by the end of 2020, which is a 10% year-on-year increase from 2019.
Related to the aforementioned, the total number of CIFs saw a 2% decrease between 2018 and 2019. However, the total number of such entities noticed a 1% increase between the same time period. For example, there was a total of 228 CIFs at the end of 2020. In contrast, CySEC regulated and supervised a total of 788 entities by the end of 2020.
The Place for Investment Firms and Investors
The development from CySEC comes at a time when Cyprus is becoming a major hub for investment firms such as forex companies. The jurisdiction has become popular because of the possibility of conducting business operations across the region through its ideal location, relatively easy establishment conditions and the availability of a regulatory agency along with low taxes.
CySEC regulates all investment companies in Cyprus. There are a significant number of companies operating various types of financial activities in the country and complying with CySEC regulations. In March, the regulator issued a warning against five financial-related platforms that had no authority to operate in the country. The watchdog singled out edufintech.org, vestlefx.com, powerfxm.com, traderscodes.com and ti-gi.com as websites that did not have licenses to operate in the country.
The Cypriot financial authority stated that such websites did not fall under the category of firms that were authorized to provide ‘investment services’ and/or the ‘performance of investment activities’ as highlighted in the law. The agency urged investors to consult its website (www.cysec.gov.cy), before carrying out business with investment firms. This would enable investors to ascertain which entities are licensed to offer investment services and/or investment activities to consumers.
On December 20, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Exchange An exchange is known as a marketplace that supports the trading of derivatives, commodities, securities, and other financial instruments.Generally, an exchange is accessible through a digital platform or sometimes at a tangible address where investors organize to perform trading. Among the chief responsibilities of an exchange would be to uphold honest and fair-trading practices. These are instrumental in making sure that the distribution of supported security rates on that exchange are effectively relevant with real-time pricing.Depending upon where you reside, an exchange may be referred to as a bourse or a share exchange while, as a whole, exchanges are present within the majority of countries. Who is Listed on an Exchange?As trading continues to transition more to electronic exchanges, transactions become more dispersed through varying exchanges. This in turn has caused a surge in the implementation of trading algorithms and high-frequency trading applications. In order for a company to be listed on a stock exchange for example, a company must divulge information such as minimum capital requirements, audited earnings reports, and financial reports.Not all exchanges are created equally, with some outperforming other exchanges significantly. The most high-profile exchanges to date include the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and the Nasdaq. Outside of trading, a stock exchange may be used by companies aiming to raise capital, this is most commonly seen in the form of initial public offerings (IPOs).Exchanges can now handle other asset classes, given the rise of cryptocurrencies as a more popularized form of trading. An exchange is known as a marketplace that supports the trading of derivatives, commodities, securities, and other financial instruments.Generally, an exchange is accessible through a digital platform or sometimes at a tangible address where investors organize to perform trading. Among the chief responsibilities of an exchange would be to uphold honest and fair-trading practices. These are instrumental in making sure that the distribution of supported security rates on that exchange are effectively relevant with real-time pricing.Depending upon where you reside, an exchange may be referred to as a bourse or a share exchange while, as a whole, exchanges are present within the majority of countries. Who is Listed on an Exchange?As trading continues to transition more to electronic exchanges, transactions become more dispersed through varying exchanges. This in turn has caused a surge in the implementation of trading algorithms and high-frequency trading applications. In order for a company to be listed on a stock exchange for example, a company must divulge information such as minimum capital requirements, audited earnings reports, and financial reports.Not all exchanges are created equally, with some outperforming other exchanges significantly. The most high-profile exchanges to date include the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and the Nasdaq. Outside of trading, a stock exchange may be used by companies aiming to raise capital, this is most commonly seen in the form of initial public offerings (IPOs).Exchanges can now handle other asset classes, given the rise of cryptocurrencies as a more popularized form of trading. Read this Term Commission ( CySEC CySEC The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) is a financial regulatory authority of Cyprus. CySEC is one of the key watchdog authorities for brokerages in Europe, whose financial regulations and operations comply with the European MiFID financial harmonization law.Founded in 2001, CySEC is instrumental in providing licensing and registration for forex brokers and previously binary options providers.CySEC is responsible for a variety of different functions, which includes the supervision and control of the Cyprus Stock Exchange as well as transactions executed in the Stock Exchange, its listed companies, brokers and brokerage firms.Furthermore, the regulator also supervises and monitors Licensed Investment Services Companies, Collective Investment funds, investment consultants. and mutual fund management companies.CySEC’s Role in Combatting Market AbuseOne of CySEC’s most important functions is the granting of operation licenses to investment firms, including investment consultants, brokerage firms and brokers. This includes provisions for Cyprus Investment Firms (CIF), who provide and perform investment services and activities either within Cyprus or abroad on a professional basis on certain financial instruments.Finally, CySEC oversees the imposition of administrative sanctions and disciplinary penalties to brokers, brokerage firms, and investment consultants, among others. The group has been a key force in policing the forex and binary options space, which has included several legal actions and curb market abuse. Since 2016, CySEC has sought to take a more aggressive stance against illicit behavior, while also strengthening its handling of investor complaints against entities. CySEC is currently chaired by Demetra Kalogerou, who has held the role since 2011.The CySEC is administered by a seven-member Board, which consist of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, each of whom provide their services on a full and exclusive employment basis, and five additional non-executive members.All individuals on CySEC’s Board are appointed by the Council of Ministers following a proposal of the Minister of Finance. Their service reflects a five-year term. The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) is a financial regulatory authority of Cyprus. CySEC is one of the key watchdog authorities for brokerages in Europe, whose financial regulations and operations comply with the European MiFID financial harmonization law.Founded in 2001, CySEC is instrumental in providing licensing and registration for forex brokers and previously binary options providers.CySEC is responsible for a variety of different functions, which includes the supervision and control of the Cyprus Stock Exchange as well as transactions executed in the Stock Exchange, its listed companies, brokers and brokerage firms.Furthermore, the regulator also supervises and monitors Licensed Investment Services Companies, Collective Investment funds, investment consultants. and mutual fund management companies.CySEC’s Role in Combatting Market AbuseOne of CySEC’s most important functions is the granting of operation licenses to investment firms, including investment consultants, brokerage firms and brokers. This includes provisions for Cyprus Investment Firms (CIF), who provide and perform investment services and activities either within Cyprus or abroad on a professional basis on certain financial instruments.Finally, CySEC oversees the imposition of administrative sanctions and disciplinary penalties to brokers, brokerage firms, and investment consultants, among others. The group has been a key force in policing the forex and binary options space, which has included several legal actions and curb market abuse. Since 2016, CySEC has sought to take a more aggressive stance against illicit behavior, while also strengthening its handling of investor complaints against entities. CySEC is currently chaired by Demetra Kalogerou, who has held the role since 2011.The CySEC is administered by a seven-member Board, which consist of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, each of whom provide their services on a full and exclusive employment basis, and five additional non-executive members.All individuals on CySEC’s Board are appointed by the Council of Ministers following a proposal of the Minister of Finance. Their service reflects a five-year term. Read this Term), a major regulatory body in Cyprus, posted the annual income generated by investment companies in the country over the previous year. According to the newly released annual statistical bulletin for 2020, the total number of authorized entities reduced by 1% between 2019 and 2020 (from 494 in 2019 to 490 in 2020). Such a decrease originated from the number of Cyprus administrative service providers (from 153 in 2019 to 146 in 2020). During 2020, the authorized regulated entities (460 firms), where the data was collected, totaled around 94% of the total of authorized firms.
Furthermore, during 2020, the income generated from the activities of Cyprus Investment firms (CIFs) amounted to €1.9 billion, while Net income amounted to €0.3 billion. That year witnessed the largest amount of trading and net income. The Trading Income and the Net Income saw 65% and 51% year-on-year increase between 2019 and 2020, respectively. Between 2018 and 2019, the total number CIFs customers witnessed a significant decrease of around 33%. However, between 2019 and 2020, the number of clients of such companies saw a significant increase of around 34%. Overall, there were 1,587,300 total clients for all CIFs at the end of 2020.

Source: CYSECAnnual Statistical Bulletin 01/01/20 to31/12/20
Likewise, the total number of employees working in all CIFs have seen an increase over the years. For instance, the total number of employees reached 5,408 by the end of 2020, which is a 10% year-on-year increase from 2019.
Related to the aforementioned, the total number of CIFs saw a 2% decrease between 2018 and 2019. However, the total number of such entities noticed a 1% increase between the same time period. For example, there was a total of 228 CIFs at the end of 2020. In contrast, CySEC regulated and supervised a total of 788 entities by the end of 2020.
The Place for Investment Firms and Investors
The development from CySEC comes at a time when Cyprus is becoming a major hub for investment firms such as forex companies. The jurisdiction has become popular because of the possibility of conducting business operations across the region through its ideal location, relatively easy establishment conditions and the availability of a regulatory agency along with low taxes.
CySEC regulates all investment companies in Cyprus. There are a significant number of companies operating various types of financial activities in the country and complying with CySEC regulations. In March, the regulator issued a warning against five financial-related platforms that had no authority to operate in the country. The watchdog singled out edufintech.org, vestlefx.com, powerfxm.com, traderscodes.com and ti-gi.com as websites that did not have licenses to operate in the country.
The Cypriot financial authority stated that such websites did not fall under the category of firms that were authorized to provide ‘investment services’ and/or the ‘performance of investment activities’ as highlighted in the law. The agency urged investors to consult its website (www.cysec.gov.cy), before carrying out business with investment firms. This would enable investors to ascertain which entities are licensed to offer investment services and/or investment activities to consumers.