Euronet unveiled OLON on 29 October, an ecosystem that combines payment acceptance, business applications and value-added services for merchants. Greece will be the first market where it is fully rolled out, through Euronet Merchant Services, which trades as epay and serves about 225,000 merchants and more than 300,000 points of sale. OLON covers terminals, Tap on Phone, e-commerce, IRIS and digital wallets, with links to ERP, cash register and booking systems. It also includes services such as Tax Free shopping, bill payments and merchant financing.

What it means: Choosing Greece as the first market is no accident. The Greek market has one of the highest densities of card terminals in Europe, thanks to tax incentives and the mandatory link between POS terminals and cash registers, and epay is one of the largest providers. Euronet's strategy reflects a wider shift: plain card acceptance is becoming a commodity with thin margins, so providers try to keep merchants by bundling software, management tools, financing and extra revenue streams. For merchants, putting services with one provider simplifies administration and may lower costs, but it increases dependence and makes switching harder later. It is worth checking contract length, fees per service and whether data can be moved. Including IRIS matters, because instant account payments are usually cheaper for merchants. OLON will also roll out in Germany and Southern European markets, so the Greek launch will serve as a test for the rest of the group. Competition with banks and international providers in the Greek acquiring market is set to intensify.

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