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Wero

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wero
Website type
Mobile payment
HeadquartersRue de Ligne 13, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Area servedAll of Western Europe (except Switzerland)
OwnerEPI Company SE
Websitewero-wallet.eu Edit this at Wikidata
Launched2024; 2 years ago (2024)
Native clients on

Wero is a European digital wallet and instant account-to-account payment service developed by the European Payments Initiative (EPI). It was launched in Germany on 2 July 2024, followed by France and Belgium later that year.[1][2][3] Wero is currently available in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Leading Austrian banks are planning to introduce the service.[4]

It was introduced as a successor to several national payment services, including Giropay in Germany, Paylib [fr] in France, Payconiq in Belgium and Luxembourg, and iDEAL in the Netherlands.[5][6][7]

The service initially focused on person-to-person transfers, and from November 2025 expanded to e-commerce payments.[8] In-store payments started in September 2026 through the complete switch of the established Payconiq payment network to Wero in Luxembourg.[9]

Wero is a European alternative to established international (US-based) payment services and card networks such as PayPal, Visa and Mastercard,[10] and as such it is often viewed as part of a European push for "payments sovereignty", i.e. a payment system that is "European" from a strategic and data-protection perspective.[11][12]

The name is a portmanteau of the English personal pronoun we and the name of the European Union's common currency, the euro, but is also based on the Italian word vero, meaning 'true'.[13]

History

[edit]

Background

[edit]

The European Payments Initiative (EPI) was launched in July 2020 by 16 European banks to develop a unified pan-European payment solution. The initiative was intended to reduce fragmentation in European retail payments and strengthen the role of European payment providers in a market dominated in areas such as card and online payments by American companies including Visa, Mastercard and PayPal.[14]

EPI's original plans included a payment card and a digital wallet covering in-store, online and person-to-person payments. The system was to use SEPA Instant Credit Transfer for instant payments.[15]

In 2022, after 20 participating banks from Germany, Finland, Poland and Spain withdrew from the project, the remaining 13 shareholders abandoned plans for a separate card network and refocused EPI on a digital wallet and instant account-to-account payments.[16]

2023

[edit]

On 25 April 2023, EPI announced that its shareholders confirmed the development (and launch) of the wallet-based payment solution.[17] Several European institutions, among them European Central Bank, welcomed the initiative.[18] On 21 September 2023, EPI selected the name Wero for its upcoming payment service.[19] In December 2023, EPI launched a pilot operation between the German Sparkasse Elbe-Elster and the French Banque Populaire, based on the fully-developed SCT-Inst SEPA payment solution.

2024

[edit]
Text: 10 Sekunden reichen nicht, um einen Bembel zu leeren. Aber mit Wero kannst du in 10 Sekunden von Konto zu Konto Geld senden und empfangen. (Translation: 10 seconds is not enough to empty a bembel. But with Wero you can send and receive money from account to account in 10 seconds). [Illustration of two phones with a rocket flying between them, one phone with the balance of minus €20 and the other €20 plus, logo of Wero, logos of supported banks, and download badges for Google Play and Apple App Store]
Advertisement board in Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof promoting Wero and logos of supported banks

On 2 July 2024, Wero was launched in Germany, with two German banks going live with the service.[20] On 30 September 2024, Wero was launched in France.[21] On 19 November 2024, Wero was launched in Belgium.[22] As of November 2024, the service counts 14 million users and 8 million transactions had been made.[23]

In December 2024, a first Wero e-commerce payment transaction was performed in a pilot setting.[24] The next countries to follow were slated to be, and would eventually be, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.[25]

2025

[edit]

During 2025, EPI expanded Wero's merchant infrastructure and banking network. Payment service providers including Nexi, Nuvei and Worldline announced integrations to enable merchants to accept Wero for online payments, while Unzer announced support for Wero through its payment platform.[26][27][28][29]

In June, Revolut joined EPI to provide Wero to customers in selected European countries [30], and five Luxembourg banks (Banque Internationale à Luxembourg, Banque Raiffeisen, Post Luxembourg, BGL BNP Paribas and Spuerkeess) joined EPI ahead of Wero's rollout in the country. In the same month, five Belgian banks (Argenta, Bank van Breda, Beobank, Crelan and vdk bank) joined the initiative to expand availability there.[31][32]

In September, EPI and the European Payments Alliance (EuroPA) announced plans to improve interoperability between European payment systems through a common technical hub.[33] In November, CTS Eventim became the first major German online retailer to accept Wero.[34]

2026

[edit]

In January 2026, the transition from iDEAL to Wero began in the Netherlands with co-branding.[35] In February, EPI and the operators of several other European payment systems agreed to develop interoperability for cross-border payments, while Commerzbank announced that it would join the service.[36][37]

Wero expanded its e-commerce service to Belgium in March and France in April.[38][39] In March, Reuters reported that it had reached 52.5 million users, while noting that it still represented only a small share of the European payments market.[40]

In June, Erste Bank Österreich and Raiffeisen banking groups joined EPI in preparation for Wero's expansion to Austria.[41] In July, Dutch banks and payment providers agreed on the next phase of the iDEAL migration, with all Dutch issuing banks scheduled to connect to Wero in October and the transition targeted for completion by the end of 2027.[42]

In August, N26 launched Wero for customers in Germany and France.[43] Wero launched in Luxembourg on 1 September[9] (the launch was postponed from the summer). The predecessor payment service to Wero in Luxembourg, Payconiq, is scheduled to be discontinued on 30 September.[44]

Product features

[edit]

Person-to-person payments

[edit]

Wero initially focused on person-to-person payments. Users can send and request money using identifiers such as mobile phone numbers or email addresses instead of an IBAN. Payments can also be initiated through QR codes.[45]

Business payments

[edit]

Wero supports payments for businesses and self-employed users through Wero PRO. Business users can send payment requests with additional information, such as invoices and accounting references, while business accounts are identified separately from personal accounts.[46]

Online payments

[edit]

From late 2025, Wero expanded to e-commerce payments. Customers can select Wero as a payment method at checkout and authorise payments through the Wero app or a participating banking application. On desktop devices, this can involve scanning (with a mobile phone) a QR code displayed by the merchant, while mobile users can be redirected directly to payment approval.[47]

Wero also supports token-based customer identification for merchants, allowing simplified repeat purchases without relying on browser cookies.[48]

In-store payments

[edit]

Wero supports payments at physical points of sale through QR codes.[49] In-store QR-code payments started in September 2026 through the complete switch of the established Payconiq payment network to Wero in Luxembourg.[9] In other countries, notably France and Germany, in-store payments are planned for 2027.[50] In 2027, Wero also plans to provide NFC-based and other contactless payment methods.[51]

Current supporting banks

[edit]
Countries and banks where Wero is being supported
Country Bank Start of support
Belgium Argenta 1 January 2026[52]
Bank Van Breda 1 January 2026[52]
Belfius 26 September 2024[22]
Beobank 1 January 2026[52]
BNP Paribas Fortis (Fintro, Hello Bank! Belgium) 6 November 2024[22]
Crelan 1 January 2026[52]
ING Belgium 19 November 2024[22]
KBC (CBC, KBC Brussels) 26 July 2024[22]
Revolut 1 July 2025[53]
vdk bank 1 January 2026[52]
France BNP Paribas 24 October 2024[21]
BoursoBank  [fr] TBA[54]
CIC 1 November 2024[55]
Crédit Agricole 26 September 2024[21]
Crédit Lyonnais 14 February 2025[56]
Crédit Mutuel 6 November 2024[21]
BPCE Group (Groupe Caisse d'Épargne, Groupe Banque Populaire) 2 October 2024[21]
Fortuneo  [fr] 22 October 2025[57]
Hello bank! 2 October 2024[21]
La Banque Postale 28 October 2024[21]
N26 11 August 2026[58]
Revolut 1 July 2025[53]
Société Générale 24 October 2024[21]
Germany BBBank 30 September 2024[59]
Comdirect TBA[60]
Commerzbank TBA[61]
Consorsbank December 2026[62]
Deutsche Bank 15 December 2025[63]
GLS Bank 16 July 2025[64]
ING 21 August 2025[65]
N26 11 August 2026[66]
Postbank 31 October 2024[67]
PSD Bank 30 September 2024[68]
Revolut 1 July 2025[53]
Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe 2 July 2024[20]
Targobank 2027[69]
Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken (DZ Bank, Sparda-Bank) 2 July 2024[20][70]
Luxembourg Banque Internationale à Luxembourg 1 September 2026[71]
Banque Raiffeisen 1 September 2026[71]
Post Luxembourg 1 September 2026[71]
BGL BNP Paribas 1 September 2026[71]
Spuerkeess 1 September 2026[71]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "EPI launches Wero, its innovative digital payment wallet in Germany". European Payments Initiative. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "EPI launches Wero, its European digital payment wallet in France". European Payments Initiative. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "EPI launches Wero, its innovative digital payment wallet in Belgium". European Payments Initiative. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "EPI begrüßt Erste Bank Österreich, Raiffeisen Bank International und Raiffeisen Landesbanken als neue Anteilseigner". www.rbinternational.com (in German). 22 June 2026. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  5. ↑ Teng, Tina (30 September 2024). "Wero set to become Europe's first unified payment solution". euronews. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "How do I move from Payconiq to Wero if I have a Luxembourgish bank account?". Wero. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Wero" (in French). Bank of France. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Wero unveils its e-commerce solution and announces first merchants in Germany". European Payments Initiative. 17 November 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 "POST Luxembourg". POST Luxembourg. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "European Payments Initiative CEO says Trump fears are boosting its appeal". Reuters. 26 March 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Weimert, Martina (4 September 2026). "Wero Leads Europe's Charge for Payments Sovereignty" (PDF). Bnpparisbas.com. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "Why Europe needs greater sovereignty over its digital payments infrastructure". The Parliament Magazine. 24 May 2026. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  13. ↑ Atzler, Elisabeth (7 September 2023). "Neuer europäischer Zahlungsdienst soll 'Wero' heißen" [New European Payment Service to be Called 'Wero']. Handelsblatt (in German). Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  14. ↑ "ECB welcomes initiative to launch new European payment solution". European Central Bank. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "ECB welcomes initiative to launch new European payment solution". European Central Bank. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  16. ↑ Benton, Philip (25 March 2022). "European Payments Initiative project pivots after 20 banks depart". Omdia. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "EPI Company announces acquisitions, additional shareholders and the coming launch of its new instant payment solution". EPI Company SE. 25 April 2023. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023.
  18. ↑ "ECB welcomes the EPI's progress on building a European payment solution". European Central Bank. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "EPI selects "Wero" as commercial name for its innovative digital wallet". EPI Company SE. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  20. 1 2 3 "EPI launches Wero, its innovative digital payment wallet in Germany". EPI Company SE. 2 July 2024.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "EPI launches Wero, its European digital payment wallet in France". EPI Company SE. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 "EPI launches Wero, its innovative digital payment wallet in Belgium". EPI Company SE. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  23. ↑ "Epi Company | Wero shows first results: Promise of fast, secure and…". EPI Company SE. 12 November 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  24. ↑ "Ein Meilenstein für den FCK und die europäische Zahlungsinnovation". 1. FC Kaiserslautern (in German). 17 December 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  25. ↑ "Wero: Shaping the future of European payments". 24 December 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  26. ↑ "Nexi: Wero acquirer for European e-commerce through Computop partnership". Nexi. February 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "Nuvei joins the European Payments Initiative to launch Wero for ecommerce". Nuvei. May 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Worldline initiates the launch of Wero in e-commerce". European Payments Initiative. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "UnzerOne enables Wero payments". Unzer. 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  30. ↑ "Revolut joins the European Payments Initiative to bring Wero to millions of new customers this summer". European Payments Initiative. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  31. ↑ "Innovative digital payment wallet Wero arrives in Luxembourg". European Payments Initiative. 16 June 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  32. ↑ "Five Belgian Banks Join EPI to Bring Wero to Even More European Customers". European Payments Initiative. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  33. ↑ "EuroPA and EPI Confirm Commitment to Expand Sovereign Pan-European Payments with a Hub model". European Payments Initiative. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  34. ↑ "Europe's largest online ticketing platform installs Wero wallet". Finextra. November 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  35. ↑ "Wero launches in the Netherlands". European Payments Initiative. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  36. ↑ Kröner, Andreas; Atzler, Elisabeth (12 February 2026). "Warum die Commerzbank nun doch bei Wero mitmacht". Handelsblatt (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  37. ↑ "Bancomat, Bizum, EPI, SIBS and Vipps MobilePay sign MoU to accelerate the rollout of sovereign, pan-European payment solutions". European Payments Initiative. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  38. ↑ "Wero announces the launch of its ecommerce solution in Belgium and announces the first merchants". European Payments Initiative. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  39. ↑ "Groupe BPCE carries out the first Wero e-commerce transactions in France". European Payments Initiative. 20 April 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  40. ↑ "European Payments Initiative CEO says Trump fears are boosting its appeal". Reuters. 26 March 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  41. ↑ "EPI welcomes Erste Bank Oesterreich, Raiffeisen Bank International and Raiffeisen Landesbanken as new shareholders". European Payments Initiative. 22 June 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  42. ↑ "Successful first phase marks major next steps in iDEAL to Wero migration". European Payments Initiative. 16 July 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  43. ↑ "N26 expands instant payment offer with introduction of European digital payment solution Wero". N26. 11 August 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  44. ↑ Kinsch, Fanny (10 August 2026). "Payconiq devient Wero le 1er septembre au Luxembourg". RTL Infos (in French). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  45. ↑ "Wero". Wero. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  46. ↑ "Is it possible to use Wero with a business account?". Wero Support. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  47. ↑ "E/M-commerce". Wero. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  48. ↑ "What is Wero?". Ecommpay. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  49. ↑ "Wero: Shaping the future of European payments". European Payments Council. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  50. ↑ Guinot, Danièle (16 September 2025). "Après le paiement entre particuliers, Wero permet de régler ses achats en ligne". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  51. ↑ Redaktion, Retail-News (2 April 2026). "Wero zündet nächste Stufe: QR-Code heute, NFC ab 2027 im Handel" (in German). Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  52. 1 2 3 4 5 "Five Belgian Banks Join EPI to Bring Wero to Even More European Customers". epicompany.eu. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  53. 1 2 3 "Wero - Revolut joins the European Payments Initiative to bring Wero to millions of new customers this summer". wero-wallet.eu. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  54. ↑ "Virement instantané : BoursoBank va enfin intégrer Wero à ses services". Ouest-France.fr (in French). 10 June 2026. Archived from the original on 10 June 2026. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  55. ↑ "Paylib passe le relais à Wero, la solution de paiement mobile instantané" (in French). 26 November 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  56. ↑ "Comment activer Wero dans l'appli LCL Mes Comptes ? LCL Banque et assurance" (in French). 14 February 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  57. ↑ "Fortuneo adopte Wero : la solution de paiement européenne gagne du terrain". BoursedesCrédits (in French). Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  58. ↑ "Avec Wero, N26 enrichit son offre de la solution européenne instantanée de paiement numérique". n26.com (in French). 11 August 2026. Retrieved 13 September 2026.
  59. ↑ "Kontaktlos, digital und sicher: Mit der Einführung von Wearables für kontaktloses Bezahlen und dem Bezahldienst #wero gestalten wir die Zukunft des Bezahlens mit. | BBBank eG" (in German). Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  60. ↑ "Comdirect und WERO /EPI?". community.comdirect.de. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  61. ↑ Kröner, Andreas; Atzler, Elisabeth (12 February 2026). "Bezahldienst: Warum die Commerzbank nun doch bei Wero mitmacht". www.handelsblatt.com (in German). Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  62. ↑ Hesse, René (19 February 2026). "Consorsbank plant Einführung von Wero bis Ende 2026". mobiFlip (in German). Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  63. ↑ "Deutsche Bank launches Wero for more simple and sovereign digital payments in Europe". Deutsche Bank. 17 December 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  64. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  65. ↑ "ING Deutschland startet mit Echtzeit-Zahlungslösung "Wero" in der Banking-App". ING (in German). Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  66. ↑ "N26 erweitert sein Angebot für Echtzeitzahlungen um die europäische digitale Zahlungslösung Wero". n26.com (in German). 11 August 2026. Retrieved 13 September 2026.
  67. ↑ Mahlmeister, Frank (1 October 2024). "EPI – Postbank startet Wero Ende Oktober". DER PLATOW Brief (in German). Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  68. ↑ "Wero". PSD Bank RheinNeckarSaar eG (in German). Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  69. ↑ Hesse, René (6 August 2026). "TARGOBANK bereitet Wero-Start vor". mobiFlip (in German). Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  70. ↑ Kreß, Lucas (4 July 2024). "Sparkasse und Volksbank Hannover bieten neues Bezahlsystem Wero an" [Sparkasse and Volksbank Hannover offer New Payment System Wero]. Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  71. 1 2 3 4 5 "La solution de paiement Wero va être lancée au Luxembourg". L'essentiel (in French). 16 June 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
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