A radical change in the field of digital payments is coming for consumers from autumn, with free transactions in the immediate and safe time.

At a meeting today by the Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis and the CEO of the Interbank Systems, Stavroula Kambouridou, they discussed the next steps so that citizens would make immediate payments, without any supply, to all.

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, 22.8 million P2P transactions (87.5%increase) were made, worth more than € 1.25 billion.

If these numbers include payments to freelancers (P2Bs) and Iris Commerce payments, then 27 million transactions have been made since the beginning of the year until today.

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.

The Minister of National Economy and Finance, 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. ”

For its part, DIAS Managing Director Stavroula Kambouridou noted: “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. ”

FROM THE PRESS OFFICE