The Central Bank of Cyprus has published the latest statistics on registrations of unpaid cheques in the preliminary list. The data show that the overall situation improved during the first 8 months of 2026 compared with last year, despite a noticeable monthly increase in August.
January–August figures
From January to August 2026, 128 unpaid cheques were added to the preliminary list. During the same period in 2025, there were 161. This means that the number of cheques decreased by 20.5%, while their total value fell to €315,581 compared with €365,490 a year earlier, a decline of 13.7%.
At the same time, the figure for the first 8 months of 2026 is already significantly lower than the result for the whole of 2025. Over the entire previous year, 213 unpaid cheques with a total value of €630,249 were registered. This means that during the first 8 months of 2026, the number of registered unpaid cheques amounted to around 60% of the full-year 2025 total, while their value was about half of last year’s amount.
Number of cheques increased in August, but their value fell
August was an exception to the overall trend. In August 2026, 27 unpaid cheques were registered, compared with 16 in August 2025. This represents an increase of 68.8%. Their total value, however, fell significantly:
- August 2026 — €27,092;
- August 2025 — €52,891;
- decline — 48.8%.
Thus, the number of cheques increased in August, but the average value of registered unpaid cheques was significantly lower than a year earlier.
How many companies and individuals were added to the preliminary list
During the first 8 months of 2026, a total of 76 persons were registered in the preliminary list. Of these, 52 were legal entities and 24 were individuals. During the same period in 2025, the list included 82 persons: 46 legal entities and 36 individuals.
In August 2026, 4 legal entities and 2 individuals were added to the list — 6 persons and companies in total. In August 2025, 6 persons were also registered: 2 legal entities and 4 individuals.
Central Bank statistics show a somewhat different trend for the Central Information Register (CIR). From January to August 2026, 86 persons were registered in it, compared with 80 during the same period in 2025. It is important to note that these figures reflect new registrations, not removals from the register. Therefore, the number of registrations over a given period cannot be directly interpreted as the number of persons actually remaining on the register on a particular date.
What unpaid cheque statistics in Cyprus show
The main conclusion from the January–August 2026 data is that both the number of unpaid cheques and their total value decreased compared with 2025. The 68.8% increase in the number of cheques in August shows that monthly trends can differ significantly from the broader pattern.
The Central Bank of Cyprus maintains a register of issuers of unpaid cheques. Under the current rules, registration may apply, among other cases, if an individual or legal entity has issued at least 3 unpaid cheques within a 12-month period or if the total value of such cheques during that period exceeds €2,000. Overall, the first eight months of 2026 show a decline in the number of problematic cheques, although the increase recorded in August warrants further monitoring during the final months of the year.