Miltos Kambourides, Founder & Managing Partner of Dolphin Capital Partners, spoke at the Cyprus Economic and Investment Summit in London about why should Cyprus is on the radar of Institutional Investors.
In his presentation, Kambourides noted that Cyprus has made international headlines thanks to its success in implementing tough austerity measures and restructuring the economy. He went on to explain that Cyprus has many advantages for investors, such as being a member of the eurozone, having a competitive tax regime with extensive double tax treaties, a modern infrastructure and a strategic geographical location, and thanks to its investor-friendly legal framework and a skilled, multi‐lingual workforce.
He further noted that what matters to institutional investors is economic activity, the size of the capital market, the legal framework and investor protection, the administrative burden and regulatory restrictions as well as the social, cultural and political environment in Cyprus. He stated that investment opportunities exist in all investment classes, from privatised utilities to energy projects, real estate and large-scale projects, as well as a sizeable number of distressed portfolio sales.
He ended his presentation by saying that he is cautiously optimistic about the revived interest of institutional investors in Cyprus due to the progress made by the Government, which has improved the risk‐return profile of Cyprus. He also mentioned that his optimism derives from the attractive business environment, the recapitalised banking sector, the investor-friendly legal framework, opportunities that meet institutional investors’ criteria, as well as the current unique drivers such as the “Citizenship and Permanent Residence through Investment” scheme, natural gas, the reunification of the island, and the fact that the risk‐return profile in other parts of the world is deteriorating, with attractive opportunities being hard to spot.