The government of Cyprus has brokered a last-ditch $13 billion bailout deal with European officials to stave off the collapse of its banking sector. Under the deal, all bank deposits above approximately $130,000 in the island’s main banks will be frozen and used to help pay off the banking sector’s debts. In addition, Cyprus’s second-largest bank will be shut down. An earlier version of the deal collapsed last week when Cypriots took to the streets to protest paying a tax of up to 10 percent on their life savings. Fresh protests erupted Sunday when the island’s central bank imposed a 100-euros-per-day withdrawal limit on bank accounts.
