Viva.com, a tech-focused bank for businesses, has been selected by the General Accountancy of the Republic of Cyprus to process electronic payments for the Cypriot public sector. The appointment follows a four-year competitive procurement process and marks a major step in modernising the country’s digital payment infrastructure for interactions between citizens, businesses, and the state.
A Unified Platform for Public Payments
The new system will serve as the backbone for the government’s official payment gateway — the Payment Gateway (PGW) on Gov.cy. It consolidates all electronic transactions with public authorities into a single, streamlined platform, offering citizens greater flexibility and convenience when settling obligations such as income taxes, vehicle licence renewal fees, and social insurance contributions.
Support for Multiple Payment Methods
Viva.com’s solution will support both card-based payments and account-to-account (A2A) transfers — enabling direct bank-to-bank payments without requiring card details. This dual-channel approach enhances accessibility while improving security and reducing transaction costs.
The company will deploy its Smart Checkout online payment solution and also manage the procurement, installation, and maintenance of physical point-of-sale (POS) terminals across public service offices island-wide. These terminals will use Viva.com’s Tap on Any Device technology, allowing secure contactless payments on standard smartphones and tablets — eliminating the need for dedicated hardware.
Expanding European Footprint
This contract follows closely on the heels of another high-profile mandate: Viva.com, in partnership with European Dynamics, was recently chosen by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) to develop, operate, and maintain the central payment platform for the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). That pan-European infrastructure — set for full rollout in 2027 — serves all 27 EU member states.
The Cyprus assignment reinforces Viva.com’s growing role as a key enabler of digital public finance across Europe — bridging national digital transformation goals with broader EU-level systems.
‘A Practical, Cost-Effective Shift’
Haris Xenophontos, Chief Business Officer at Viva.com, said the company is proud to apply its pan-European infrastructure to support a core function of the Cypriot state. ‘The new platform will offer citizens a simpler, more practical way to pay — while simultaneously lowering the cost of electronic transactions for the government,’ he noted. He added that Viva.com remains committed to delivering services that combine innovation with measurable impact for both public institutions and end users.
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