Nikos Trypatsas

Trypatsas died in October 2026 after a long battle with cancer. The news site ink.com, which first reported his death on the morning of 19 October 2026, said he had died the previous night after a two year fight with the illness. The Cyprus Stock Exchange's council and staff, in their official statement, and the Cyprus Mail said he passed away on Monday 19 October. Because of this small difference, the exact date is given here as October 2026. His age at death was not made public.

The exchange declared three days of mourning with flags at half mast. His funeral was announced for Wednesday 21 October 2026; the place and further details had not been made public at the time of writing.

Very little about Nikos Trypatsas's early life has been made public. His date and place of birth, and the names of his parents, have not been reported in the sources available at the time of his death. He was a Cypriot whose whole career was spent in Cyprus, and he grew up to become one of the longest serving executives of the island's stock exchange.

Trypatsas earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Athens University of Economics and Business in Greece, widely known by its Greek initials ASOEE. He then completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Stirling in Scotland. These qualifications are listed in the biography published with his 2019 South EU Summit interview.

Trypatsas joined the Cyprus Stock Exchange in 1994, before the exchange started trading, and the Cyprus Mail reported that he was the first person the CSE ever hired. He stayed for 32 years.

Across three decades he was involved in, and frequently led, the projects that modernised the exchange. These included the automation of trading, the dematerialisation of securities, the creation of the Central Securities Depository and Central Registry, remote trading by foreign members, and cross border depository links with SIX SIS and Clearstream Banking. He also worked on the CSE and Athens Stock Exchange common trading platform, the development of new markets, products and services, and the exchange's international cooperation. He sat on the board of the European Central Securities Depositories Association (ECSDA) on behalf of the CSE.

In May 2017 he began running the exchange as Acting General Manager, a role approved by the Council of Ministers, while continuing in his post as Deputy General Manager. A cabinet decision of 21 May 2018, for example, approved his acting appointment for the period 1 July to 30 December 2018, in addition to the duties of his own position.

As the exchange's public voice he spoke at the UK Investor Show in London in 2018, gave interviews to the South EU Summit (2019) and the Federation of Euro Asian Stock Exchanges (2020), appeared on Cypriot television and podcasts, and addressed the Nicosia Energy Symposium in 2023 and 2024. In May 2025 he delivered the keynote "Tech Meets the Market: Unlocking the CSE Advantage" at the TechIsland Summit, and in May 2026 he spoke at the exchange's 30th anniversary event. In his final years he worked on the search for a strategic investor and the privatisation of the CSE, the 2025 parallel listing of Eurobank shares in Nicosia and Athens, the introduction of market making to boost liquidity, and cooperation with India's NSE IX.

Trypatsas kept his private life largely out of public view. The names of his spouse, children or other relatives have not been made public. In its farewell statement the Cyprus Stock Exchange offered condolences to his family and loved ones and said that, beyond his professional role, it was saying goodbye to an exceptional colleague and above all a precious friend.

Trypatsas believed a stock exchange should be a working tool for financing a country's businesses. During the Covid 19 pandemic he argued that the CSE could help restore companies and the economy and lead them to further growth. He repeatedly urged Cypriot firms of every size, from family businesses and start ups to shipping, tourism, healthcare, education and pharmaceutical companies, to consider listing, and he presented the Emerging Companies Market as a flexible route for younger firms.

He pressed for tax incentives to support the capital market. In August 2025 he publicly criticised draft tax reform bills for weakening existing incentives, saying the country was "essentially going in the opposite direction" from the one the exchange wanted, and that public decisions should encourage, not discourage, listings. He also supported the exchange's role in the energy transition, green bonds, and privatisation through a credible international strategic investor.

Trypatsas is remembered as one of the builders of Cyprus's modern capital market. Having been present from before the first trade, he helped carry the exchange through the late 1990s market turmoil, the 2013 banking crisis, the Covid 19 pandemic and the start of its privatisation process. The infrastructure he helped create, including the electronic trading platform shared with Athens, the Central Securities Depository and Registry, and the exchange's role in energy markets, remains central to how the CSE works. The exchange said his professional career, dedication and contribution form a legacy it will preserve with appreciation and respect.

No formal state awards or honours for Trypatsas were reported in the sources available. He was recognised by his peers through his seat on the board of the European Central Securities Depositories Association. On his death the Cyprus Stock Exchange honoured him with three days of official mourning, with flags flown at half mast.

Trypatsas appeared regularly in Cypriot and international business media. Recorded appearances include a 2019 South EU Summit interview, a long form 2024 episode of the Financial Frontiers podcast ("Cyprus Stock Exchange: Growth Path and Regulatory Hurdles"), an April 2024 appearance on Ant1 Cyprus's midday programme about the go live of EMTN bond listings, his May 2025 TechIsland Summit keynote, and a June 2025 episode of Politis's podcast "Matia stin Oikonomia" with Georgia Channi. He also wrote opinion articles for Cypriot outlets such as StockWatch on the role of the exchange in the economy.