Cyprus: Corporate and Company Law

What ultimately determines whether a compliance programme succeeds or fails? Most professionals would point to effective controls, robust governance, adequate resources, regulatory expertise, or technological sophistication. All of these are important.

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What an incredible weekend! The CYAUSE Audit Services team has just returned from an exhilarating, high-energy trip to Bucharest, Romania, where we participated in a fantastic international business expo.

Cyprus has long established itself as one of Europe’s leading jurisdictions for intellectual property structuring, offering innovative businesses, software developers, and multinational groups a legally...

From the 15th March 2024, a new set of legal provisions started to apply whenever a Cyprus Company is converted from a Cyprus company to one of the companies of the Member States of the European Union or when a company from a Member State of the European Union is converted to a Cyprus company. This is due to the amendment of the Companies Law (No.3) of 2024 (Law 26(I)/2024) (the “Amendment Law”) that transposed into domestic law the provisions of Directive (EU) 2019/2121 (the “Mobility Directive”) that amended Directive (EU) 2017/1132 as regards cross-border conversions.

Companies in Cyprus, like elsewhere, may encounter financial or structural difficulties that make it impossible to continue operating. In such cases, the law provides mechanisms to bring the life of a company to an end in an orderly and fair manner.

One of the most common questions we receive from clients of Corporate Services is: "Why has my company been charged a penalty for late filing, and whose fault is it?" It is a fair question.

Shareholder disputes in Cyprus rarely arise from a single dramatic event. More often, they develop gradually. A company begins as a workable venture between business partners, family members or investors. Decisions are taken informally, roles are not clearly defined, and governance documents are either minimal or treated as a formality.

As one of the very few common law jurisdictions within the European Union, Cyprus has well established itself as a commercial, corporate and tech hub over the past few years.