Athens, Greece. Visa has selected seven fintechs from Greece, Cyprus and Malta for the 2026 cycle of the Visa Innovation Programme Europe, after applications from the three markets rose by around 50% year-on-year.
Programme focus and scope
Now in its eighth cycle, the programme aims to support fintech growth, strengthen digital payment solutions and accelerate innovation in financial services. This year’s edition places emphasis on artificial intelligence, agentic commerce, B2B solutions, money movement, open finance and data.
Selected startups
Following a competitive selection process, the seven startups chosen for the Greece, Cyprus and Malta programme are AgriNow, Better, Cloudigo, Paytic, GYST, Outfindo and Peanuds.
Implementation and support network
In Greece, Cyprus and Malta, the programme is implemented in collaboration with Eleven Ventures and Endeavor Greece, providing participating companies access to Visa’s network of partners, mentors, investors and clients. Visa said the selected startups will be able to test, validate and accelerate their solutions under real market conditions while exploring how emerging technologies can be integrated into the wider Visa ecosystem.
Key thematic areas for 2026
The 2026 cycle focuses on three main areas: artificial intelligence and agentic commerce, meaning commerce conducted through digital assistants; B2B solutions and money movement; and open finance and data. Visa said these areas were selected to identify fintech companies capable of delivering scalable, forward-looking solutions and contributing to the future development of financial services.
Visa executive comments
Sevi Vassileva, General Manager of Visa for Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel, said innovation remains central to the evolution of payments. She said that in the eighth cycle of the Visa Innovation Program Europe, the programme is welcoming for the first time seven fintechs that bring solutions and ideas aimed at transforming the financial sector. Vassileva encouraged participants to use the programme’s mentoring and partner network and said Visa looks forward to seeing how their solutions will help shape the future of financial services.
Which of the programme’s focus areas do you expect to have the biggest impact on financial services?
