Wero: The first anniversary is being celebrated and the time is right for expansion
Wero has successfully positioned itself on payments between friends and family and is preparing its entry into the online and in-store payment market.
The European Payments Initiative (EPI) aims to offer a sovereign and unified payment alternative in Europe through Wero.
Available since the second half of 2024 for transactions between individuals in Belgium, France and Germany, Wero already has more than 43.5 million registered users. Initially launched with person-to-person (P2P) payment functionality, the pace of growth in transactions has been steady, for a total amount transferred of more than €7.5 billion over the past year. The project continues to expand, with the integration of new countries and banking members.
Wero today: request, send or receive money across borders for individuals
- Send and receive money easily and instantly using a phone number or email address.
- Make a “Money Request”, with the option to generate individual QR codes to avoid sharing a phone number during person-to-person payments.
- Carry out cross-border payments to participating banks in other relevant European countries.
For SG customers, Wero is currently available via the SG App.
Wero tomorrow: online and in-store payment solution
EPI is set to add new features to Wero with the launch of its online payment solution for retail, first in Germany at the end of 2025, and then Belgium and France by 2026. The first French merchants have already signed a collaboration agreement with EPI, such as Air France, E. Leclerc, ESF (the French Ski School), Orange - Sosh, Veepee, or Dott, which will allow users of these services to settle their transactions in a simple and intuitive way, via Wero.
The General Directorate of Public Finances (GDFIP), a payment operator for the State and local authorities, has also announced its interest in integrating Wero as a means of payment for public merchants (local authorities, museums, hospitals, etc.).
In the long term, Wero will make it possible to make online payments, in-store payments, but also to pay for subscriptions and offer value-added services such as the integration of merchants’ loyalty programs.
"This success is a testament to Wero's anchoring in our customers' daily payment habits. At SG, we are proud to offer all the features of account-to-account private payment since October 2024. By building on the successful adoption of consumers, we will be able to broaden the use of e-commerce payments to support merchants in their business and development with an innovative, competitive and useful solution" — Thierry Le Marre, Co-Head of the SG Retail Banking Network in France, Societe Generale Group.
To find out more: read the press release