Cyprus awards Viva.com state electronic payments contract

Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus has awarded Viva.com a contract to provide electronic transaction processing services for the state, concluding a procurement procedure that lasted more than four years and involved multiple legal challenges.

Payment infrastructure

The contract, awarded by the Treasury of the Republic of Cyprus, covers electronic payments made by citizens and businesses to the state. The total annual value of transactions managed through the system is expected to exceed €1.5 billion.

Related: Eurobank moves interim dividend payment forward to November 26, 2026

RelatedEurobank moves interim dividend payment forward to November 26, 2026

Viva.com will establish a multi-channel electronic transaction processing infrastructure, enabling payments by card and account-to-account (A2A) methods.

The company will serve as the processing engine for Cyprus’s Payment Gateway through the gov.cy platform, centralising electronic payments and allowing users to settle obligations to government departments and services through one platform.

Online and physical payments

Viva.com will manage online transactions through its Smart Checkout payment solution. It will also procure, install and maintain physical point-of-sale terminals across public services in Cyprus using its Tap on Any Device technology.

The system will cover payments including direct taxes, vehicle licence renewals, social insurance contributions and other electronic payments to the state.

Tender appeals

The tender procedure began on January 7, 2022, and was repeatedly delayed by legal challenges brought by bidders.

In a decision published after the latest appeal, the Tenders Review Authority said the procurement had taken an unusually long time to complete, following a succession of appeals that were both upheld and rejected.

JCC Payment Systems Ltd lodged the latest challenge on April 8, 2026, after the Tenders Board decided to award the contract to VivaBank Single-Member Banking Company S.A.

The appeal was dismissed on July 15, 2026, clearing the way for the award to proceed.