Thanks to the impressive proliferation of the IRIS system, Greece is currently among the eurozone countries with the best record in adopting direct payments, Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis told the 9th Payments 360 Conference.
He also emphasized that a wholly Greek payment system paves the way for Europe to achieve strategic autonomy in payment services and financial technology, commonly referred to as fintech.
Hatzidakis said that direct payments constitute 25% of the total in Greece, coming above the eurozone average of 20.9%.
According to the data presented by Hatzidakis for 2024, the IRIS system has been adopted by 3.8 million citizens and 565,000 registered professionals.
Meanwhile, IRIS transactions between individuals have risen by 142.4% compared to 2023 and payments to self-employed individuals have surged by 844%.
Also, the IRIS Commerce service now has 8,000 registered e-shops and has doubled its volume, reaching 7.3 million transactions.
According to the same data, 65% of users of the IRIS payment service are 18-35 years old, and payments through IRIS to freelancers increased tenfold between 2023 and 2024, and between the first five months of 2024 and 2025, they increased fivefold.