Digital Euro, EUDI Wallet and AI Take Centre Stage at Digital World Summit Greece and Snappi Event
Developments in digital payments, European Digital Identity and the role of artificial intelligence in the financial ecosystem took centre stage at “Building Europe’s Sovereign Future: Digital Payments, Trust and Identity”, an event organised by Digital World Summit Greece in collaboration with Snappi on Thursday, 22 October 2026, at Snappi Hub.
Bringing together representatives from the Bank of Greece, GRNET, EY, Warply and Snappi, the discussion focused on the technological and institutional foundations needed to build a more autonomous, secure and interoperable European digital ecosystem.
A common theme throughout the discussions was that European digital sovereignty goes beyond developing technological infrastructure. It is closely linked to public-private sector collaboration, data protection and the development of digital services that respond to users’ needs.
Digital Autonomy and Interconnected Infrastructure
The event opened with Effie Chatziantoniou, COO of Snappi, who highlighted the importance of digital sovereignty for Europe’s future. As she noted, Europe’s ability to shape its own digital future depends on developing the right infrastructure and maintaining trust, without isolating itself from the global technology market.
Next, Ivan Vasylchenko, Deputy COO of Snappi, focused on the interconnectedness of institutions and digital systems in Greece, emphasising the importance of collaboration between government, banks and other stakeholders. Leveraging these synergies can strengthen trust in digital transactions and contribute to a better user experience.
Digital Euro and European Digital Identity: The Challenges Ahead
Sissy Papagiannidou, Director of Payment and Settlement Systems at the Bank of Greece, shared valuable insights into the key pillars of Europe’s payments strategy: monetary sovereignty, the availability of different payment methods and cross-border interoperability.
In this context, she explored the role of the digital euro as an additional means of payment, designed to strengthen the autonomy and resilience of the European financial system while complementing existing payment solutions. Particular emphasis was placed on privacy protection and the ability to make offline payments.
Meanwhile, Panos Louridas, Director of Research and Development at GRNET, highlighted the challenges surrounding the implementation of the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet).
As he explained, the main obstacles are not necessarily technological. Rather, they relate to coordination among the stakeholders involved and the need to establish a common European approach.
He also stressed the importance of developing specific use cases that demonstrate the practical value of the EUDI Wallet and encourage its adoption by European citizens.
Agentic Commerce and Artificial Intelligence in Payments
Giannis Doxaras, CEO and Co-founder of Warply, explored the changes artificial intelligence is bringing to commerce and financial services.
As he noted, ease of use remains a key factor in the adoption of new payment solutions, while consumer behaviour and preferences vary depending on the culture of each market.
He placed particular emphasis on the emergence of agentic commerce, a new model in which artificial intelligence systems take on a more active role in searching for and selecting products.
This development, combined with the gradual integration of more merchants into the digital ecosystem, is creating new opportunities for transactions and the overall consumer experience.
Cybersecurity, Trust and the Transformation of Banking
Panagiotis Papanagiannakopoulos, Partner at EY, highlighted the importance of trust in shaping the future of digital financial services.
As he emphasised, trust is fundamental to the functioning of the banking system and extends beyond cybersecurity technologies and personal data protection.
The relationship financial institutions build with their customers is equally important, as is their ability to adapt to the evolving demands of the digital landscape.
In this context, he highlighted the need for both regulatory frameworks and banks’ internal operations to evolve, with the aim of simplifying processes and making more effective use of emerging technologies.
European Digital Sovereignty Requires Collaboration and Trust
The discussion was moderated by Vicky Arvanitaki, PR Manager at Digital World Summit Greece, who highlighted the challenges and opportunities that emerging technologies are creating for the European payments ecosystem.
A key takeaway was that European digital sovereignty is not solely a technological challenge. Developing interoperable infrastructure, strengthening cybersecurity, protecting personal data and fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors are all essential to creating a secure and competitive digital environment.
The event also highlighted the importance of Greece’s active participation in the European dialogue on digital payments, digital identity and technological autonomy, topics that lie at the heart of Digital World Summit Greece’s initiatives.
The conversation will continue at the Digital World Summit Greece’s flagship conference, titled “The Digital Shift: Tech & AI Sovereignty”, taking place on 3 December 2026 at the French Institute of Greece in Athens.
Registration is now open. Attendance is free of charge, but advance registration is required.
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