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NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — International agency Standard & Poors has raised Cyprus' credit grade a notch to BB+ on the expectation that the eastern Mediterranean island's economy will grow steadily over the next three years.
S&P says that Cyprus' budget will show a small surplus over 2018-2020, pushing the country's large debt burden downward.
Friday's upgrade puts Cyprus a notch below investment grade. But S&P said banks on the island still face a huge volume of bad loans and a 2018 presidential election may hold up privatizations.
Cyprus has been battling back after nearly going bankrupt in 2013 when a banking crisis coupled with overspending forced it to seek a multibillion-euro rescue deal from its eurozone partners and the International Monetary Fund.
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