What is Wero?
Wero is the digital wallet of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), a company backed by 18 European banks and payment service providers. Wero moves money from one bank account to another as an instant payment, and the payer needs only the payee's phone number. It runs in Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg.
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Wero in brief
| Term | Wero, a product of EPI Company SE, Brussels. The name is the same in German. |
|---|---|
| License | EPI is a payment institution authorized by the National Bank of Belgium on . |
| Payment rails | The instant payment scheme of the European Payments Council (SCT Inst). |
| Markets | Belgium, France and Germany since 2024, Luxembourg since September 2026. The Netherlands and Austria are announced. |
| Users | 60 million users; over 48,000 merchants have processed Wero transactions (EPI, ). |
How does Wero work?
Wero works as an instant credit transfer from the payer's bank account to the payee's bank account, started in a banking app or in the Wero app. The payer enters a phone number, and the money arrives "in less than 10 seconds", at any hour and on weekends (Wero, send money). The account is debited as soon as the payment is validated. The Wero site says that payments between people are free of charge.
What is Wero as a payment system? EPI describes a four-corner model of banks, consumers, acquirers and merchants, built on the existing instant payment infrastructure between accounts. Is Wero a credit card? No. Wero needs no card and no IBAN, and it grants no credit: the amount comes straight from the current account. In a Belgian store the customer scans a Wero QR code on the payment terminal and pays from the bank account.
What are Wero payments used for today?
Wero payments are used between people in all Wero markets and, step by step, for online and in-store purchases. EPI gives this timeline in its releases:
| Use | Status in September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Person to person | Live in Belgium, France and Germany since 2024 |
| Online shopping | Live in Germany since the end of 2025, for example at Decathlon, dm, Eventim and Lidl; rollout in France and Belgium during 2026 |
| In the store | First terminals in Belgium; broader rollout in France and Germany from 2027 |
| Bills and subscriptions | Invoice payments in Luxembourg; Orange customers in France pay bills with Wero |
EPI's member banks represent more than 75% of the retail banking customers in Belgium, France and Germany (EPI, members).
Is Wero international?
Wero is international within its markets: users can pay across borders between the participating Wero countries with the same app. What is Wero in Europe beyond those countries? In two of them it replaces a national solution. On EPI announced the last phase of the move from Payconiq to Wero in Luxembourg. The Payconiq platform ends on , and old Payconiq QR codes work in the Wero app until the end of the year (EPI, ).
Wero vs Payconiq and Wero vs iDEAL: in both cases Wero is the successor. In the Netherlands, iDEAL is to move to Wero by 2027. EPI also has interoperability agreements that are to connect Wero users over time with payment solutions in Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Nordic countries.
Wero vs digital euro: what is the difference?
Wero is a private wallet that moves money between commercial bank accounts, and the digital euro is a planned form of central bank money. Digital euro vs Wero in detail:
| Wero vs digital euro | Wero | Digital euro |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer of the money | The user's bank (bank deposit) | The Eurosystem (central bank money) |
| Legal basis | Private scheme; EPI holds a payment institution license | Proposed regulation COM(2023) 369, still in negotiation |
| Legal tender | No | Yes, under Article 7 of the proposal |
| Status | Live, 60 million users | Pilot from the second half of 2027; first issuance possible during 2029 |
The ECB answers the question for European private solutions in general. It writes that the digital euro could be "the 'fall-back' that enables full pan-European reach while preserving market access for domestic or regional schemes", for example through co-badging in existing wallets (ECB, digital euro FAQ). More in What is the digital euro?
What is Wero in Germany, Austria and Switzerland?
In Germany, Wero is live for payments between people and for online shopping. The EPI website shows the Sparkassen, the Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken and Deutsche Bank among its members. BaFin supervises the German banks that offer Wero; EPI holds its own license from the National Bank of Belgium.
In Austria, EPI named the country on as a coming Wero market, without a date. The FMA supervises Austrian banks. None of the EPI or Wero pages read on names Switzerland as a Wero market. FINMA supervises Swiss banks, and instant payments in Swiss francs run through the SIC system of the Swiss National Bank. This page gives no legal advice.
Sources
- European Payments Initiative: EPI Company, About and Members, read on
- European Payments Initiative: EPI initiates Wero in Luxembourg, bringing instant pan-European payments to local consumers,
- European Payments Initiative: Wero's Next, Now: E-commerce accelerates as in-store takes its first steps,
- Wero: Wero, European payment solution, Send money and About, read on
- European Central Bank: Digital euro, frequently asked questions, read on
- European Commission: Proposal for a Regulation on the establishment of the digital euro, COM(2023) 369 final,