Nicosia, Cyprus. The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission awarded €1,000 in prizes to two university students for outstanding academic research in finance and securities markets during the 2025–2026 academic year. The annual awards initiative recognises excellence in academic research and innovation.
Awards initiative and purpose
The awards were presented to students whose work was judged the best in fields related to finance and capital markets.
CySEC said the initiative aims to reward outstanding academic achievement, encourage research efforts and promote innovative thinking among young scholars.
The regulator added that the programme also seeks to strengthen ties between the academic community and the financial sector, particularly in matters concerning capital markets.
Awards in memory of Frixos Sorokos
The awards are presented each year in memory of Frixos Sorokos, CySEC’s first chairman, who played a key role in the establishment and development of the supervisory authority.
Recipients and research topics
For the 2025–2026 academic year, one recipient was Xenia Efthymiou, a doctoral student at the Cyprus University of Technology (Tepak), whose dissertation was titled “Bail-In a Generation: BRRD’s Legacy Unveiled – The Case of Cyprus.”
The second recipient was Ioannis Moraitis, a postgraduate student at the University of Nicosia, for his study entitled “A Comparative Analysis of AI-Themed ETFs vs. Actively Managed Mutual Funds: Performance, Risk, and Cost.”
CySEC stated that each student received a monetary prize of €500.
Award presentation
The award to Efthymiou was presented by CySEC vice-chairman Panikkos Vakkou during the graduation ceremony of the Cyprus University of Technology on June 16, 2026.
The ceremony was also attended by Kaiti Sorokou, the wife of the late Frixos Sorokos, whose legacy the awards continue to honour.
