Radical change in the space of digital payment comes for consumers from autumn, with free transactions In the right time and safely.
At a meeting today by Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis and the CEO of the Interbank Systems, Stavroula Kambouridou, discussed the next steps so that citizens would make immediate payments, without any commission, in all of the natural and electronics.
Mr. Pierrakakis, during his visit to the DIAS offices, was briefed on the prospects and the progress of upgrading the IRIS systems, which is very popular with Greek society. It is indicative that users in immediate payments between friends (P2P) exceeded 3.7 million (45% increase over April 2024), of which 272,000 activated the service in the first months of 2025.
Since the beginning of the year, they were carried out 22.8 million P2P transactions (increase of 87.5%), worth more than € 1.25 billion. If these numbers include payments to freelancers (P2B) and payments to an online store (Iris Commerce), then overall From the beginning of the year to date, 27 million transactions have been made, worth 2.6 billion euros.
March is a record month for all three Iris products.
Immediate payments are completely free For consumers. For businesses, it is an additional means of payments, which provides significantly lower charges than credit cards. The IRIS system is currently using 565,000 freelancers, having made more than 500,000 transactions since the beginning of the year. Last year, in the same period, they had made only 100,000 transactions.
Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said: “Greece is changing. The digital future also concerns our economic transactions that become simple, modern, fast and safe. The IRIS system is growing rapidly, with 27 million transactions, within the first four months of the year. Without any commission for consumers, with transparency and speed. We take another step in modernization and enhance the flexibility for citizens and businesses. As of November 1, 2025, the acceptance of the IRIS system will be mandatory in all shops, of course and electronically. Consumers are able to pay for a good or service directly from their account, within seconds, at no charge at all. Businesses receive almost automatically the money, with a supply less than that of banks. In addition to the benefit for citizens who are not burdened by unnecessary charges, the dissemination of direct digital payments is another tool that limits tax evasion and supports equality and tax justice. ”
On her side, DIAS Managing Director Stavroula Kambouridou pointed out the following: “The close cooperation of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance with DIAS paves the way for a new era in payments in Greece. With the mandatory acceptance of direct IRIS payments from businesses in November, we bring a national, immediate and safe solution that radically changes the landscape of trading, facilitates citizens and businesses and enhances the transition to a modern, digital economy with multiple benefits for all. In a coordinated effort and fruitful cooperation with banks and acquirers, which are part of the chain. “