TechIsland

09/10/2026

What happens when your company grows faster than your payments and banking infrastructure?

That was a central question last night at our 6th TechIsland Community Meetup, powered by payabl.

And the discussion made one thing very clear: scaling is not just about adding more banks, providers, accounts or platforms. It is about making sure the infrastructure behind the business remains intentional, visible and manageable as complexity grows.

A few takeaways stood out:

🔹 Visibility comes first. As companies add entities, markets, currencies and providers, finance teams need to maintain a clear picture of where cash sits, how it moves and who controls each part of the flow.

🔹 Redundancy only works if it actually works. A backup bank account or PSP is not much of a backup if it is inactive, untested or nobody internally knows how to use it.

🔹 More providers do not automatically mean more resilience. The goal is not to accumulate banking and payment relationships, but to work with the right partners while keeping the overall infrastructure manageable.

And perhaps the clearest answer to the question “Build, Buy or Both?” was: usually, both.

Companies may choose to build more control, orchestration and visibility internally while continuing to rely on banks and specialist payment providers for the infrastructure and expertise they do best. The important thing is not to outsource control over your own financial decisions or visibility.

Thank you to our speakers for such an open and practical conversation: Maro Drakou, Alexis Yiallourides, Alexis Ioannou, Anastasia Muzychuk.

And to our General Manager, Tanya Romanyukha for moderating the discussion.

A big thank you to payabl. for powering our Community and hosting us last night, and to everyone who joined us.

If you’re not yet a member of our FinPro Community, apply via the link below and join us for the next meetup:
https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6qdvOXLELZqbgxsji0cjG52f6nlvK477EXxyHh1eyOxHYjoxA7OwTY5RlUWSBV7nfZ

07/10/2026

What an evening for our 13th TechIsland HR Community Meetup.

We had a packed programme exploring mental health, resilience and support from different perspectives.

The panel “Mental Health in the Workplace: Turning Care Into Action” brought together James O'Reilly, Savvas Potamitis, Victor Ioannides and Darya Belanovich for a practical conversation about what meaningful employee support actually looks like.

A few themes stood out: the important role managers and leaders play in creating healthy workplaces; the need to move beyond simply offering benefits and make sure employees understand, trust and actually use them; and the balance between creating psychological safety and still treating employees as adults, with managers there to notice, listen and guide — not become therapists.

And then came a very special end to the evening.

Marcos Baghdatis joined us for a fireside chat and shared his story of leaving Cyprus at just 14 years old to pursue professional tennis, growing into an international athlete and eventually reaching World No. 8, becoming an Australian Open finalist, a Wimbledon semi-finalist and winning four ATP singles titles.

One of the most powerful moments came when he spoke about his unforgettable 2006 US Open match against Andre Agassi. Marcos described walking onto Arthur Ashe Stadium with around 24,000 people rooting for Agassi. Two sets down, he told himself: “Marcos, this is it. You’re going to give it your all on this court.” And that is exactly what he did. He fought his way back into the match and pushed it to a fifth set.

It was a powerful example of what mental resilience can look like under extreme pressure — when the atmosphere, the occasion and almost everyone in the stadium seem to be against you, and you still find a way to keep going.

A big thank you to Paul Smith of JAAQ, who guided both conversations so naturally and helped bring out very different perspectives throughout the evening.

Thank you as well to all our speakers, everyone who joined us, and of course our partners Bupa Global, JAAQ and Nicos Rossos Insurance Brokers for making this meetup possible.

And to our HR Community — thank you for once again bringing such great energy, curiosity and openness to the room.
See you at the next one.

30/09/2026

We are pleased to welcome George Metzakis, CEO of Cyta to the Board of Directors of TechIsland.

With more than 17 years of experience in telecommunications, George brings strong expertise in commercial leadership, digital transformation, customer strategy and business growth across Cyprus and international markets.

Cyta plays an important role in Cyprus’ digital infrastructure and wider technology ecosystem, and we are very pleased to strengthen this connection at Board level, once again.

George’s experience and perspective will be a valuable addition as TechIsland continues working with its members and partners to support the growth, competitiveness and long-term development of Cyprus’ technology sector.

Welcome to the Board, George — we look forward to working together.

22/09/2026

18/09/2026

Today, the Cyprus Employers & Industrialists Federation (OEB) and TechIsland signed a Memorandum of Understanding, marking the start of a closer collaboration to support technology, innovation and entrepreneurship in Cyprus.

The partnership aims to create a stronger environment for businesses, investment and talent, with a focus on areas including the regulatory and tax framework, physical and digital infrastructure, skills development, and better alignment between education and the evolving needs of the labour market.

By bringing together the perspectives and networks of both organisations, we aim to contribute to practical initiatives and policy proposals that can strengthen Cyprus’ competitiveness and support the continued growth of its technology and innovation ecosystem.

We look forward to working closely together and turning this collaboration into meaningful action.

17/09/2026

Another great evening with the TechIsland TechPro Community powered by The Vault.

At our 3rd meetup with the theme “Who Owns Your Code Security?”, we brought together developers, engineering leaders and cybersecurity experts to discuss how software security is evolving as development becomes faster, more automated and increasingly supported by AI and modern coding tools.

As our conversations focused heavily on mitigation through good security hygiene practices, an important aspect rang true for our audience, causing a spontaneous round of applause - security is only as good as your readiness to respond to the critical incidents that slip through to production. So, run drills, cause unpredictable disastrous events, and prepare for the worst.

A big thank you to our moderator Svetlana Kostina, Delivery Manager at The Vault, and our speakers Christodoulos Papadopoulos, Founder & CEO at CPbros Group, Pavlos Kleanthous, CEO at Parsectix, Andrey Leskin, CTO at QRATOR, Max Perukin Director of Cyber Security at Wrike.

And thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the discussion.

The TechIsland TechPro Community brings together Cyprus’ tech professionals to exchange knowledge, discuss the challenges shaping their work and connect with peers across the industry. Not part of the community yet? Apply now to join us, find the link in comments.

10/09/2026

Women in Tech®Cyprus is proudly teaming up with Andersen Europe for an online session “Architecture of Trust: Network Design in Tech in the AI Era” 💙

As AI turns technical expertise into a commodity, the real edge shifts from what you know to who knows your value, trusts your judgment, and is willing to open doors for you. On 15 September, we are bringing together women leaders across tech and fintech to talk about how that actually gets built.

Moderated by Tanya Romanyukha, our Chapter Director and General Manager of TechIsland®, this online fireside discussion will feature the following amazing ladies:
- Irina Gruzdeva, Chief Commercial Officer at Andersen Europe
- Anna P., Chief Product Officer at FinteqHub
- Melania Guadix Cervera, Head of Test Services and Core CS AI Transformation at Erste Digital

Together they will explore how great work becomes visible, how trust turns expertise into opportunity, and what keeps you memorable when everyone has access to the same tools. A fireside discussion, followed by a live Q&A where you bring the questions. ✨

If everyone has the same AI tools, what makes you the one people remember and recommend?

📅 15 September 2026 at 18:00 Cyprus time | 17:00 CET | 16:00 BST | 11:00 EDT | 10:00 CDT
📍 Online and free
🔗Registration by the link in the bio