For Cyprus, Painful Medicine to Swallow in Order to Avoid Collapse
Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades leaves the European Council building in Brussels, March 25, 2013, after a meeting with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and other officials to discuss a rescue package for the island. REUTERS/Sebastien Pirlet (Belgium – Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) – RTXXWFM
Cyprus has been going through a crazy week.
But the good news is that a banking collapse on the Mediterranean island has been avoided.
The bad news?
The new $13 billion bailout deal with the European Union involves significant pain.
Stavros Zenios is a professor of finance at the University of Cyprus in Nicosia.
He says the plan involves major changes for two of Cyprus’ leading banks: One will be shut down, another will be restructured, and anybody with more than 100,000 euros in those banks is going to help pay for the deal.