Despite extensive clinical efforts to achieve stricter glycaemic control over the past few decades, cardiovascular (CV) disease remains the leading cause of death among diabetic patients. Recently, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1-R) agonists have gained attention due to their apparent effects in reducing CV mortality. Four CV randomized controlled trials: EMPA-REG, CANVAS, LEADER, and SUSTAIN-6, found a decrease in CV events among patients with type 2 diabetes on empagliflozin, canagliflozin, liraglutide, and semaglutide, respectively. In light of this data, the US Food and Drug Administration has recently approved empagliflozin for CV mortality reduction in type 2 diabetic patients, making it the first diabetes medication approved for such an indication. The purpose of this review is to summarize the results of novel anti-hyperglycaemic medication trials, and shed light on their mode of action and cardioprotective pathways.