Worldline, a global leader in payment services announced that „is ready to launch the new Wero payment method, enabling eMerchants to accept it in Germany from this summer onwards”. Wero for eCommerce will subsequently be launched in Belgium in October 2025 and in France in early 2026.
Worldline has been one of the initial shareholders of the EPI Company (EPI) since its inception in November 2020. In 2024, EPI introduced Wero, a new payment scheme based on instant payments that was successfully launched with a P2P payment use case at first, in France, Belgium and Germany.
„Today, Worldline officially becomes a Wero member allowing its merchants to accept Wero for online commerce. Launch will be effective from this summer in Germany, in October in Belgium, followed by France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in 2026.” – the company said.
Wero is a cross-border payment facility with built-in buyer protection and is based on a scheme layered on the instant bank transfer. The more than 40 million base customers will be able to pay initially on merchant websites with their trusted bank application, enabling for Wero instant bank payments for e-commerce and later in stores.
Wero brings a host of new benefits to consumers:
. Increased trust than other wallets, because the bank of the payers issues the payments.
. Convenience of a smooth user interface, with only a mobile phone number required to enter for activation.
. More confidence from a buyer protection facility and an integrated disputes mechanism.
. An explicit consent for each type of payment (immediate, deferred, recurring, etc.).
For merchants, Wero will be a full omni-channel solution with in-store payments capability, starting in 2026. It will also bring benefits to merchants, such as reduced chargebacks with consent management and pre-disputers services, as well as a higher conversion rate with a truly frictionless payment method.
„With the launch of of our e-commerce payment case, EPI provides the foundation and proof-points for a truly viable European solution and only marks the beginning for merchants’ payment rails transformation. Wero is set up as a wallet, allowing us to integrate other payment means as well as value-added services beyond payments, attractive to both consumers and merchants. By the end of 2026, EPI will not only cover e- and m-commerce payments but also be able to add omni-channel payments, first point of sale/in-store payments and invoice payments.” said Martina Weimert CEO of EPI company.
Pierre-Antoine Vacheron, CEO of Worldline said „As an EPI principal member, Worldline continues to drive innovation with the launch of Wero, a new European payment solution introduced to merchants. This new payment method highlights our commitment to delivering value-driven solutions that support our customers’ growth and advance Europe’s pursuit of sovereignty in digital payments.„
Worldline powers the growth of over one million businesses around the world. Worldline generated circa €4.6 billion revenue in 2024.
EPI (or European Payments Initiative) is supported by 16 European banks and payment service providers. They have joined forces with a common goal: to offer a unified mobile payment service, to all European companies and citizens, Wero. EPI intends to enable European consumers and merchants and to carry out all types of retail transactions simply, via a resolutely sovereign digital wallet.
Based on instant account-to-account payments, Wero further streamlines payments in Europe by eliminating intermediaries in the payment chain and the associated additional costs. Wero already supports payments between individuals, and will shortly unveil payments to professionals and those for online and mobile purchases. Point-of-sale payments are also foreseen to be offered, as well as value-added services such as merchant loyalty programs and recurring subscription management.
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