Cyprus scraps limits on cash withdrawals

Restrictions on cash withdrawals imposed a year ago in Cyprus have been lifted, a government decree says.

People outside a branch of Cyprus' Housing Finance Corporation

Cyprus has abolished restrictions on cash withdrawals imposed a year ago, officials say. (AAP)

Cyprus has abolished restrictions on cash withdrawals imposed a year ago to avoid a run on the banks during bailout negotiations in 2013.

Moving towards lifting the eurozone's only capital controls, Finance Minister Harris Georgiades issued a decree abolishing the 300 euro ($A448.30) daily ceiling on cash withdrawals from banks.

With "the overall stabilisation and restoration of confidence in the banking system, it is feasible to ease restrictions further", he said.

The daily withdrawal limit was one of the key restrictions under the capital controls regime.

Cypriots are still not allowed to cash cheques or take more than 3000 euros with them when they travel abroad.

The decree also increased the limits for the transfer of money within Cyprus, regardless of the purpose.

Under certain conditions, Cypriots are also allowed to open new bank accounts if they are not an existing customer of a credit institution and they open a fixed deposit account exceeding 5000 euros.

Cyprus has passed three reviews from the troika of international lenders and received bailout cash to restructure its near-bankrupt banking system.

Nicosia says it could abolish all controls by the end of 2014 if sufficient progress is made in adopting its bailout program and investor confidence is fully restored.

Cyprus last year agreed to a 10-billion-euro rescue package with the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund to bail out its troubled economy and bloated banking system.

The deal included a restructuring of the banks, with the island's second-largest lender, Laiki, wound up and its good assets folded into the largest lender, Bank of Cyprus (BoC).

Fears of a bank run in March 2013 forced the government to close all the island's banks for nearly two weeks and impose the draconian controls when they reopened.


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Source: AAP



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