According to the latest data from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (ΕΚΚ), released on Friday, January 12, the number of investment entities in Cyprus continues to grow.
The total number of registered investment companies in Cyprus reached 335 at the end of September 2023, compared to 334 in June 2023 and 284 in September 2022.
At the same time, their total assets decreased to €8.6 million. This is 19.8% less than in June 2023 and 12.8% less year-on-year.
It is worth noting that of the 335 collective investment companies and collective investment organizations currently managed by ΕΚΚ, 225 are operating environments with external management, 36 with internal management and 74 with external managers.
In terms of investment policy, 89.4% of the assets managed by UCITS in the third quarter of 2023 were invested in securities, 5.4% in bank deposits, and 4.2% in real estate. In turn, AIF, AIFLNP, and RAIF invested mainly in private equity (32.9%). Equity investments accounted for 11.7%, real estate 11.2%, compensation capital 13.8% and other.
Interestingly, 77% of the assets managed in the third quarter of 2023 came from 198 Cypriot OSEs. Of these, 156 invest partially or fully in Cyprus, with the amount of these investments corresponding to €2.3 billion or 27% of total assets under management. In turn, 65.1% of the investments in Cyprus relate to direct investments, while real estate investments account for 14.4%.
In terms of investor classification, in UCITS, 99.2% are private investors, while in other funds, 19.2% are professional investors, 68.1% are qualified investors and only 12.7% are private investors.
Finally, in terms of sector-specific OSE investments in the third quarter of 2023, assets under management in the energy sector totaled €536 million (6.221% of total ESA), in the financial technology sector €194.2 million (2.254% of total ESA), in the shipping sector €605 million (7.022% of total ESA), and in sustainable investments €77.9 million (0.904% of total ESA).