Five big banks in Belgium have joined the European Payments Initiative (EPI) with the intention of rolling out the Wero digital wallet and instant account-to-account (A2A) payment application to customers in the first half of next year.
Argenta, Bank Van Breda, Beobank, Crelan, and vdk bank are preparing to roll out Wero within their own banking apps or as a standalone app for making P2P payments, further extending the initiative's reach within Belgium.
Koen Spinoy, member of the executive committee at Beobank, comments: “In line with our strong digital journey, mobile app usage at Beobank has grown by over 300% in just five years. Integrating payment solutions such as Wero is a logical next step in our digital evolution. Wero aligns perfectly with our commitment to provide innovative, secure, and convenient payment experiences that meet our customers’ everyday needs.”
Available since Summer 2024 for person-to-person transactions in Belgium, France and Germany, Wero has already gained more than 40 million registered users. Future iterations include the introduction of e-commerce payments later this year, followed by in-store payments, subscription management, and loyalty services from 2026.
The new Belgian members follow the recent recruitment of five Luxembourg banks and fintech super app Revolut.
Martina Weimert, CEO of the EPI Company. “I’m particularly proud to see the number of members trusting us is growing. These new members’ local presence and close relationship with their customers will be essential to making Wero a trusted part of everyday payments across the continent."