Wero is a recently launched payment service, introduced in 2024 by the European Payments Initiative (EPI). The goal is for it to become the standard for everyday cashless spending across Europe. Operating in Belgium, France, and Germany, it now serves more than 43.5 million registered users and has already moved over €7.5 billion in transfers since launch. Initially created to transfer money between individuals, the platform is expanding and will soon be able to process online and point-of-sale (POS) purchases.

This article explains the idea behind Wero, how it works, its new features for consumer-to-seller transactions, and its advantages.

What’s in this article?

• What is Wero?
  
• What’s the purpose of Wero?
  
• Which banks use Wero in France?
  
• How do Wero payouts work in France?
  
• How do payments using Wero work in France?
  
• What are Wero’s advantages?
  
• Is Wero reliable?
  
• How Stripe Payments can help you
  

What is Wero?

Wero is a real-time smartphone-based way to pay that French residents of legal age can use to move funds to and from their bank account, free of charge. The EPI—a consortium of 16 European financial institutions and two payment service providers (PSPs)—developed Wero and plans to extend it to online and in-store checkouts starting in 2026.

A contraction of “we” and “euro,” Wero was first developed as a peer-to-peer (P2P) mobile payment method. It made its debut in 2024 in Germany, France, and Belgium in October. As Wero's checkout feature solution will roll out in late 2025 and early 2026 in those regions, it will also expand to Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Eventually, the plan is for Wero to be available in 15 countries in the European Union.

Forty-six European financial institutions currently support Wero; more than 20 of these are French banks. It has approximately 16 million active users in the country, a figure that keeps climbing as the platform gains traction among everyday shoppers.

What’s the difference between Wero and SEPA credit transfers?

Wero transactions are instant Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) credit transfers that allow people to move funds at no charge via a French partner institution. There is one major difference between the two options: an instant SEPA credit requires an IBAN, but a Wero transfer only calls for a phone number or email address.

Wero vs. Paylib

Wero replaced Paylib in the fall of 2024 for P2P transfers. It relies on the same payment method as its predecessor and operates in a very similar way. However, compared to Paylib, Wero has additional features, wider access, and stronger security. The transition from Paylib to Wero is automatic for users.

As a Europe-wide service, Wero also replaced other local payment services:

• iDEAL in Luxembourg and the Netherlands
  
• Payconiq in Belgium (in association with Bancontact)
  
• Giropay in Germany
  

The EPI also has a partnership with the EuroPA alliance, which groups together services such as Bancomat in Italy, Bizum in Spain, and MB WAY in Portugal to ensure interoperability among real-time systems and to offer easier ways to pay across much of the EU.

What’s the purpose of Wero?

The goal is for Wero to become the leading digital wallet in Europe, facilitating quick, simple, practical, and secure checkouts. Its purpose is to provide a unified EU-wide alternative that simplifies all local and cross-border transactions: money transfers and bill sharing for individuals, one-touch settlements, recurring payments, subscriptions, and installments.

Thanks to these features, Wero aims to compete with leading American card and wallet brands such as Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay, while ensuring European financial independence from these global players. Wero’s autonomy also strengthens its potential to integrate with the digital euro, an electronic cash project proposed by the European Central Bank.

Wero already enables P2P transfers in France, and it will roll out its business-to-consumer (B2C) web checkout feature by 2026. Some large French companies have already announced ecommerce site partnerships for this option, including Air France, École de Ski Français, Orange, and Dott. The ability to use Wero to pay in stores is scheduled for 2027. Additionally, the General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFiP) has shown interest in offering this method to pay at public entities such as museums or hospitals.

Stripe offers Wero support

PSPs such as Stripe play an important role in Wero’s adoption in the country. They make technical integration with ecommerce sites straightforward and create a unified payment experience.

Stripe already supports Wero in Germany, allowing customers to pay securely via the Wero app or their participating bank at checkout. Support for Belgium, France, and the Netherlands is planned for 2026.

Which banks use Wero in France?

Twenty-two banks are currently Wero partners in France:

• Banque BCP
  
• Banque de Savoie
  
• Banque Dupuy, de Parseval
  
• Banque Marze
  
• Banque Palatine
  
• Banque Populaire
  
• BNP Paribas
  
• BNP Paribas Fortis
  
• BRED Banque Populaire
  
• Caisse d’Epargne
  
• CIC
  
• Crédit Agricole
  
• Crédit Coopératif
  
• Crédit Maritime
  
• Crédit Mutuel
  
• Crédit Mutuel Arkéa
  
• Hello bank! France
  
• La Banque Postale
  
• LCL
  
• Monabanq
  
• Revolut
  
• SG Société Générale
  

Additional institutions in the country plan to support Wero by the end of 2025.

How do Wero payouts work in France?

Wero lets you send and receive money from a French bank account using a phone number or email address, without providing an IBAN or personal information. Linked to each person’s account, the platform operates as a payment gateway, accessible exclusively through an autonomous mobile app or an integrated partner banking app.

To initiate a payout via Wero in the country:

• The individual sending funds selects the bank account to be debited on the app (if they have accounts linked to Wero)
  
• Then they enter the amount to send and select the recipient from their contacts
  
• If the recipient isn’t in the payer’s contacts, the payer can manually enter their mobile phone number or email address
  
• The recipient can also generate a QR code through their Wero account or banking app that the payer scans
  
• The payer can optionally add a payment memo and enter their confidential PIN to finalize the Wero payout
  
• The recipient receives the money in less than 10 seconds
  

To be able to move funds in this way, certain conditions are required:

• The two parties must be private customers of one of the Wero partner institutions; payments to professionals (P2Pro) are not yet available
  
• The customers must have activated the service
  
• They must have registered and verified a mobile phone number with their financial institution
  
• They must have installed the Wero app or their bank’s app on their smartphone
  

How do payments using Wero work in France?

When a purchase is made in person or on the web, a customer in France has several ways to pay via Wero:

• By scanning a QR code that is printed or displayed onscreen
  
• By selecting Wero Checkout online
  
• By approving a request sent to their smartphone
  

Whatever method they choose, the customer then confirms the payment in their banking app or the Wero app and, before completing the transaction, checks that their contact details, debit account, and delivery information are correct.

Note: Wero payment works for one-time purchases and subscriptions as well as for amounts charged after delivery. For repeated ecommerce or m-commerce orders on the same site, Wero stores payment and shipping details to make transactions easier.

What are Wero’s advantages?

Wero offers several benefits to people in France and professionals (businesses and self-employed workers), including fast, safe ways to pay, smooth checkout processes, and compliance with European regulations.

Wero advantages for individuals

Wero provides the French with a payment service that’s fast, secure, and practical:

• It enables free, near-immediate fund movements between individuals as well as more efficient shopping on the web or in-store.
  
• It can replace paying by card, cash, or check.
  
• It simplifies the payment process and only requires a phone number or email address.
  
• It offers dependability and enhanced security by using express consent for each payment and a payout issued directly by the banks without requiring a user’s account details.
  

Wero advantages for businesses

Wero provides an omnichannel payment service to French companies, thereby increasing revenue and improving the customer experience. The Wero solution guarantees:

• Speed and ease of payment through instant SEPA credit transfers
  
• Simplified checkouts with Wero payments that will soon be available online or in-store
  
• The ability to handle different ways of paying, such as subscriptions; buy now, pay later (BNPL); or amounts that depend on a specific event taking place (such as shipment)
  
• Improved conversion rates due to a smooth buying experience
  
• Expansion into new international markets because Wero payments will be accepted across borders and instantly throughout Europe
  
• Safe transactions based on the buyer’s explicit approval
  
• Compliance with data confidentiality requirements and regulations, as well as no use of data for commercial purposes without clear permission, guaranteeing legal protection for the company
  
• Affordable pricing and no interchange fees, each capped and tailored to the company’s size to strengthen forecasting and cost control
  
• Reduced risk of fraud by card or check
  

Wero advantages for self-employed workers

Wero now serves French self-employed professionals and microbusinesses as well. It allows both private and professional payments through the same platform. They can also accept instant Wero payouts using QR codes, for example, without having to provide their IBAN.

These independent workers can also get receipts, generate reports automatically, and benefit from automatic dunning for nonpayments, making invoicing and accounting easier.

Is Wero reliable?

Wero is built to be fully secure and complies with strict EU banking rules and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Whenever a transfer or purchase occurs, it protects financial and personal data with state-of-the-art encryption.

In addition, every Wero payment requires express consent from the individual who enters a code or uses biometric or digital recognition.

How Stripe Payments can help you

Stripe Payments offers a unified global payment service. It helps all types of companies, from startups to international corporations, accept payments online, in person and around the world.

Stripe Payments can help you:

• Optimize your payment experience: Create a straightforward customer experience and save thousands of hours of coding using pre-built payment interfaces. You’ll have access to more than 125 payment methods and to Link, a wallet designed by Stripe.
  
• Access new markets faster: Gain access to customers around the world while simplifying and reducing the cost of multi-currency transactions through trans-border payment options available in 195 countries and over 135 currencies.
  
• Unify online and in-person payments: Create a unified shopping experience, both online and in person, to personalize interactions, reward customer loyalty and boost revenue.
  
• Improve payment performance: Increase revenue using a range of customized, easy-to-configure payment tools, including no-code fraud protection tools and advanced features to improve authorization rates.
  
• Increase efficiency using a flexible, dependable platform: Grow your business on a platform designed to evolve with you, with a 99.999% uptime rate and unmatched reliability within the industry.
  

Find out how Stripe Payments can help you optimize your online and in-person payments and sign up today.