Visa has selected seven fintechs from Greece, Cyprus and Malta for the 2026 cycle of the Visa Innovation Programme Europe, as applications from the three markets rose by around 50 per cent year-on-year, pointing to growing momentum across the regional fintech ecosystem.

Now in its eighth cycle, the programme is designed to support fintech growth, strengthen digital payment solutions and accelerate innovation in financial services, with this year’s edition placing particular emphasis on artificial intelligence, agentic commerce, B2B solutions, money movement, open finance and data. 

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. 

In Greece, Cyprus and Malta, the programme is implemented in collaboration with Eleven Ventures and Endeavor Greece, giving participating companies access to Visa’s network of partners, mentors, investors and clients. 

Through this network, the selected startups will be able to test, validate and accelerate their solutions under real market conditions, while also exploring how emerging technologies can be integrated into the wider Visa ecosystem. 

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 thematic areas were chosen to identify fintech companies capable of delivering scalable, forward-looking solutions and contributing to the future development of financial services. 

Sevi Vassileva, General Manager of Visa for Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel, said innovation remains central to the evolution of payments. 

“In the eighth cycle of the Visa Innovation Program Europe, we are welcoming for the first time seven dynamic fintechs, which bring fresh solutions and ideas, capable of transforming the financial sector,” she said. 

Vassileva also encouraged participants to make full use of the programme’s mentoring and partner network, adding that Visa looks forward to seeing how their solutions will help shape the future of financial services. 

The selected companies reflect a broad range of activity across payments, AI, compliance, embedded finance, digital infrastructure and commerce. 

AgriNow, from Greece, is an AI-powered workforce management platform that digitises agricultural labour hiring. It enables farmers to source verified workers, manage contracts and compliance, and pay wages legally, transparently and on time, including for cross-border labour. 

Better, from Israel, converts declined online payments into guaranteed real-time revenue for payment service providers and merchants by securing and retrying transactions at the optimal moment, without disrupting the customer experience. 

Cloudigo, from Malta, connects savings, rewards and employee benefits, aiming to turn everyday spending into smarter value for consumers, merchants and employers. 

Paytic, from Canada, is an AI-powered back-office platform for payments, designed to improve how operations are built, run and managed across banks, fintechs, processors and enterprise merchants. 

GYST, from the United States, provides agentic AI infrastructure that enables creators to turn audience demand into immediate commercial opportunities, automating end-to-end sales execution and helping creators become Visa-powered merchants. 

Outfindo, from the Czech Republic, helps retailers reduce choice paralysis in complex e-commerce by transforming technical product data into human- and AI-friendly insights, making products easier to discover, compare and recommend. 

Cyprus is represented by Peanuds, which builds modular software for card- and account-based financial products. The company enables business banks and fintechs to launch their own programmes through one platform, rather than managing multiple vendors across the European Economic Area. 

Daniel Tomov, founding partner at Eleven Ventures, said the 2026 season of the Visa Innovation Programme Europe is beginning with “incredible momentum”, marking what he described as a shift towards intelligent and autonomous finance. 

“We’re especially energized by the surge of talent emerging from Greece, Cyprus, and Malta, ecosystems that have rapidly matured into high-octane hubs for AI-driven commerce,” he said. 

Tomov added that the quality of fintech innovation from the region is stronger than ever, with startups building globally competitive solutions across payments, AI, embedded finance, compliance and digital infrastructure. 

“By connecting this local ingenuity with Visa’s partner network, we are accelerating the transition from traditional payments to seamless, borderless value exchange across Europe,” he said. 

He added that Eleven Ventures is proud to support “this new generation of builders” and help unlock the scale, connectivity and opportunity made possible through Visa’s global network. 

Panagiotis Karampinis, Regional Managing Director at Endeavor Europe, said ecosystems grow when ambitious founders are connected to the right networks, knowledge and market opportunities. 

“The Visa Innovation Program Europe does exactly that, by giving high-impact fintech companies across Greece, Cyprus, and Malta access to leading partners, real market validation, and the support needed to scale,” he said. 

Karampinis said this year’s selected companies demonstrate the strength and maturity of the regional fintech ecosystem, particularly in AI, agentic commerce, B2B payments and open finance. 

He added that Endeavor is proud to support the eighth cycle of the programme together with Visa and Eleven Ventures, helping founders turn innovative solutions into meaningful market impact. 

Since its launch in 2019, the Visa Innovation Program Europe has expanded across 15 countries and received more than 1,900 applications. 

Around 250 fintechs have reached the final evaluation stage, while more than 150 companies have been selected to participate. According to Visa, participants have benefited from more than 1,500 hours of mentorship and over 750 introductions to Visa partners. 

The programme has also led to more than 110 successful collaborations between participating companies and the wider Visa ecosystem. 

The 2026 cycle will run until November 2026 and will conclude with the Visa Innovation Programme Europe Summit, where participating companies will present their progress to market leaders, Visa executives, alumni and members of the broader fintech ecosystem.