Over the next few years, the European payments landscape will undergo a major transformation. While consumers and businesses are currently familiar with iDEAL, this trusted system will gradually be replaced starting in 2026 by Wero, a new European payment method. But what exactly is Wero, why is it being introduced and what should you be prepared for as the transition unfolds?

Summary

• Wero will replace iDEAL by 2027 as the pan-European payment standard, aiming to provide a unified, secure and instant payment solution across Europe, based on SEPA Instant Credit Transfers
• The transition requires significant adjustments for banks, PSPs and merchants, but also brings opportunities such as faster transactions, reduced dependency on third parties and simpler cross-border payments within the EU

Wero explained: the next evolution in payments

Wero is a payment service from the European Payments Initiative (EPI), a coalition of major European banks. The goal is clear: to create a single, unified payment method that works across all of Europe. The ambition is for Wero to become a viable alternative to global players like Visa, Mastercard and PayPal.

At its core, Wero offers what iDEAL already does: simple, fast and secure payments directly from your bank account. On top of that, it introduces new features such as:

• Peer-to-peer payments: quickly sending money to friends or family
• Cross-border transactions: paying across EU countries from one system
• Added functionality: including payment requests, digital subscriptions and possibly even digital identity features

The name Wero combines the English words “we” and “euro,” with a nod to the Latin “vero” (true), to emphasise its reliability and European roots.

The rationale behind Wero

While iDEAL has been a success story in the Netherlands, it remains a national solution. For consumers and companies operating across borders, this presents limitations. European banks also want to reduce dependence on non-European payment providers.

That is why it has been agreed that iDEAL will be integrated into Wero in 2026 and fully phased out by the end of 2027. In other words, by 2027 all iDEAL merchants will need to have transitioned to Wero. For end users, the payment experience will largely remain the same, familiar and secure, but behind the scenes, a European infrastructure will be in place that enables much more.

Wero is already live in Belgium, Germany and France, and is being rolled out gradually across the continent. As the successor to iDEAL, Wero is designed to unify Europe's fragmented payment systems into one pan-European solution.

Looking ahead 

The shift from iDEAL to Wero is more than a rebranding exercise. It represents a step toward a harmonised European payment landscape, where transactions are processed in the same way across all countries: fast, safe and transparent.

What does that mean in practice?

• Instant account-to-account payments: Wero is built on SEPA Instant Credit Transfers. Payments are processed between accounts instantly, 24/7, often in seconds. This requires banks to ensure their systems are continuously available and scalable
• One brand, one wallet: users will have access to a single digital wallet, either integrated into their bank app or as a standalone app. Banks will need to expand their apps to support these features
• Interoperability: payment solutions from different countries will work together. This requires all systems to comply with uniform European standards
• Replacement of national systems: legacy solutions like iDEAL will be absorbed into Wero. For banks, this means migrating back-end systems and phasing out outdated integrations
• Cost and dependency: with fewer intermediaries involved, the payment chain could become more cost-efficient. Banks will need to rethink their revenue models accordingly
• Regulation and security: compliance with the EU’s Instant Payments Regulation will require banks to further strengthen their fraud prevention and security systems

“We are closely monitoring the rollout of Wero. “It is crucial that we anticipate the technical and functional impact on our integrations and systems in a timely manner,” Frank Schooneveldt, Managing Director of Akkuro Savings & Investments.

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