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Visa Selects Seven Startups From Greece, Cyprus And Malta For Fintech Programme

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

May 11, 2026

Visa is setting the pace for financial innovation by selecting seven pioneering fintech startups from Greece, Cyprus, and Malta for the 2026 cycle of its esteemed Visa Innovation Programme Europe. With applications from these markets surging by roughly 50% year-over-year, the initiative underscores the robust growth of regional fintech ecosystems.

Strengthening Digital Payment Infrastructure

Now in its eighth cycle, the programme is strategically recalibrated to empower fintech growth, enhance digital payment solutions, and accelerate innovation across financial services. This year’s focus on artificial intelligence, agentic commerce, B2B solutions, money movement, open finance, and data is intended to unearth scalable solutions capable of transforming the payment landscape.

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Showcasing Diverse Innovation

Following the selection process, startups AgriNow, Better, Cloudigo, Paytic, GYST, Outfindo and Peanuds were chosen to participate in the programme. The selected companies operate across a range of sectors, including AI-powered workforce management, payment infrastructure, consumer finance technology and back-office automation for financial services.

Leveraging Strategic Partnerships

The programme is executed in collaboration with Eleven Ventures and Endeavor Greece, providing selected companies with unparalleled access to Visa’s extensive network of partners, mentors, investors, and clients. This ecosystem enables startups to rigorously test, validate, and accelerate their solutions under real market conditions while integrating emerging technologies within Visa’s global framework.

Insights From Industry Leaders

Sevi Vassileva, General Manager for Visa in Greece, Cyprus, Malta, and Israel, highlighted innovation as the cornerstone of evolving payment systems, stating, “In the eighth cycle of the Visa Innovation Program Europe, we are welcoming for the first time seven dynamic fintechs that bring fresh solutions capable of transforming the financial sector.” Daniel Tomov, founding partner at Eleven Ventures, and Panagiotis Karampinis, Regional Managing Director at Endeavor Europe, also emphasized the increasing sophistication of the regional fintech landscape and the importance of strategic networking in driving industry transformation.

Programme Impact And Future Outlook

Since launching in 2019, the Visa Innovation Programme Europe has expanded across 15 countries and reviewed more than 1,900 startup applications. Nearly 250 fintech companies have reached final evaluation stages, while the programme has facilitated more than 1,500 mentorship hours and over 750 introductions to Visa partners and investors.

The 2026 cycle will run through November before concluding with the Visa Innovation Program Europe Summit, where participating startups will present their progress to industry executives, investors and technology leaders.

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A New Twitter-Inspired Social Network Is Taking Shape

by News Editor

August 27, 2026

A new social network called Twitter.now is entering the market, with a founding team that includes former Twitter trademark counsel Stephen Coates. The service is being developed by startup Operation Bluebird.

As Ars Technica reported, X sued the company last year and asked a Delaware judge to block the launch. Operation Bluebird argued in a petition that X had abandoned trademarks including “Twitter” and “Tweet.”

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Coates has said the project is not an attempt to recreate the original Twitter. In a LinkedIn post, he described the platform as a new public space focused on trust, transparency and user choice.

AI System To Rate Posts

Twitter.now is currently being tested, with early access priced at $20. Its main feature is VERA, an AI system designed to evaluate posts, verify claims and provide sources and context.

Posts receive a trust score, with users eventually able to set a minimum score to filter their feeds. The company says this approach will give people more control over what they see instead of leaving those decisions entirely to an algorithm.

Moderation Remains A Challenge

Scaling moderation will be one of the platform’s biggest tests. Social networks have repeatedly struggled with content moderation as their communities grow, and newer platforms such as Bluesky have faced similar criticism.

Operation Bluebird says VERA will form the basis of its moderation and verification system. A second version is already planned, with expanded tools that would let users set a specific trust threshold for the posts appearing in their feeds.

For now, Twitter.now remains in an early testing phase, combining the familiarity of the Twitter name with an AI-driven approach to evaluating online information.