ECB Warns Euro Area Households to Invest Amid Growing Wealth Gap

The European Central Bank (ECB) has warned that euro area households hold too much wealth in cash and low-yield deposits. According to the ECB, around one-third of euro area household financial assets, worth almost €10 trillion, remain in cash and low-yield bank deposits.

Furthermore, it was found that 80% of households do not own stocks or other market-based financial instruments, with participation substantially lower than in the United States. The gap is particularly pronounced among wealthier households, where more than 65% of the wealthiest 20% of US households hold listed shares, bonds, or mutual funds, compared to less than 45% in the euro area.

In an effort to address this issue, the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) will be hosting a round-table discussion on September 29, 2026, about workers with care responsibilities and the support available to them. The event aims to examine how employees can balance work with caring for an elderly person, someone with a disability, or another family member.

Additionally, Cyprus raised seafarers' rights and shipping's social role during a three-day maritime programme in Athens. At the symposium marking the 20th anniversary of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis argued that protecting seafarers could no longer be treated separately from the wider changes transforming global shipping.