Wero: Europe’s Alternative to PayPal and Apple Pay Enters the E-Commerce Market - Le Figaro

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French consumers will soon be able to pay for online purchases on about 20 e-commerce sites using this digital wallet, which is currently dedicated to peer-to-peer payments.

The French will soon have a new payment method for online shopping — and it will be 100% European. Wero, the digital wallet that already allows instant account-to-account transfers, is expanding into e-commerce.

Wero was launched two years ago by 16 European banks — including all French banks — to counter American giants Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Apple Pay, which dominate the market. Since then, more than 45 European banks have joined the European Payments Initiative (EPI) consortium, which is developing the tool.

“The moment of truth is coming for Wero,” said Thierry Laborde, Chief Operating Officer of BNP Paribas, which will be the first bank to offer online payments in the coming weeks, quickly followed by other institutions. “Opening up to merchants will be another decisive step for this digital payment platform.”

Wero has already begun to become part of daily life — to repay a friend, send money to a child, or settle a purchase between individuals — particularly in France, where the service claims 40 million registered users (it will also be available at all online banks by the end of the year). Wero is also available in Belgium (10 million users), Germany (10 million) and Luxembourg.

“The fact that we have managed to sign up 60 million customers in just two years gives Wero real legitimacy. And that has helped win over merchants,” Laborde said. The EPI alliance has so far established partnerships in France with about 20 major retailers, including E.Leclerc, Veepee, Orange (where payment via Wero has been available since September 2), Air France, Kiabi, and — in a few months — Fnac-Darty and Decathlon. While this is still limited, others are expected to follow.

For consumers, online payment with Wero will be free and simple. That is key to challenging U.S. payment giants. A yellow button labeled “Wero” will appear on e-commerce sites, alongside those for France’s CB payment network, Visa and PayPal. To pay for purchases, customers will need to scan a QR code using their banking app or the Wero app. They will then confirm the payment using a strong authentication system (similar to credit card payments).

Wero relies on instant bank transfers. That sets it apart from credit card payments, or those facilitated by PayPal or Apple Pay (which also rely on credit cards). The advantage? It helps customers avoid leaving their credit card online. Since the payment is made directly from the user’s bank account, the user will also see their account balance updated immediately.

“Unlike other payment solutions, Wero has an open model directly linked to the user’s bank account,” Laborde said. “This means there is no need to create a separate account and fund it later.” A thinly veiled reference to PayPal. Merchants should also benefit from that.

“Wero’s goal is to offer them a payment solution that is competitive and attractive compared to others,” said Martina Weimert, EPI’s CEO.

Wero has another advantage at a time when players like PayPal, for example, are offering their users installment payments or consumer credit, thereby encroaching on retailers’ territory. “For retailers, it is essential to remain in control of their relationship with customers and to avoid intermediaries who position themselves in areas where they have no business being,” said Enrique Martinez, CEO of Fnac-Darty, whose stores will begin offering Wero in 2027. “In the digital realm, Europe has not always stepped up to protect its retailers. Wero will allow us to regain control of the customer relationship and experience, while contributing to European sovereignty in payments.”

Wero payments on e-commerce sites have been available in Germany since late 2025 and in Belgium since this spring. French consumers will therefore be able to pay for their purchases with Wero on German sites (22 major retailers, including Lidl and Decathlon) or Belgian sites (more than 41,000 merchants, including Colruyt). The same applies to customers in Germany and Belgium shopping on French e-commerce sites.

It is difficult to gauge Wero’s e-commerce success at this stage. “In Germany, the market is more challenging because it is dominated by PayPal,” Weimert said. Changes in payment habits take a long time. “But major cities, such as Berlin, for example, are set to accept QR code payments with Wero,” she added.

The next decisive step for the payment solution is expected next year, with the introduction of in-store payments. Time is of the essence, as more and more French people are using mobile payments (one in five card payments in stores). By then, Wero will have gained a stronger foothold in Europe. Dutch banks, with 15 million users and 240,000 merchants, will soon join EPI, as will Austrian banks.

While payment sovereignty is more relevant than ever, EPI has also forged closer ties with another European consortium, the European Payments Alliance (EuroPA), and some of its members — including Bizum in Spain, Bancomat in Italy, MB Way in Portugal, and Vipps MobilePay — which offer a similar payment solution. Together, they will create a shared platform that allows consumers to pay with Wero or Bizum, for example, when traveling abroad. “In total, 140 million Europeans will be able to use Wero,” Weimert said.