Five Belgian banks join EPI to boost Wero

The European Payments Initiative (EPI) has strengthened its foothold in Belgium with the addition of five major banks set to deploy its Wero digital wallet.

Five Belgian banks join Wero

Argenta, Bank Van Breda, Beobank, Crelan, and vdk bank will begin offering Wero to their customers from H1 2026, marking a significant step forward in the initiative’s ambition to create a pan-European payment solution.

Wero is an instant account-to-account (A2A) payment platform designed to offer a seamless digital wallet experience to consumers and businesses alike.

The Belgian expansion builds upon EPI’s growing membership base, which recently welcomed neobank Revolut and five Luxembourgish banks, underlining accelerating adoption momentum across the Eurozone.

What the Banks Say

Commenting on the development, Argenta’s Chief Retail Officer, Sander Blommaert, said Wero “fits seamlessly with our vision of putting ease of use and simplicity first,” enhancing the bank’s ability to deliver accessible payment tools to its customers.

Bank Van Breda, which serves entrepreneurs and liberal professionals, will integrate Wero as a standalone app to maximise flexibility.

CEO Dirk Wouters described the move as empowering clients with “a fast, secure, and intuitive way to manage their payments,” aligning with the bank’s customer-centric innovation strategy.

Beobank’s Executive Committee Member, Koen Spinoy, noted that with mobile app usage at Beobank increasing by over 300% in five years, integrating Wero was a logical progression in its digital journey to deliver secure and convenient payment experiences.

Crelan’s Director of Payments and Investments, Jo Baetens, emphasised Wero’s alignment with its digital strategy by offering consumers and professionals payment “convenience, security and control.”

For vdk bank, the integration is part of its mission to make banking accessible to all.

CEO Leen Van den Neste highlighted that alongside branch expansion, keeping pace with digital trends remains central to its approach.

Once live, customers of these banks will be able to send and receive instant payments within their banking apps, whether paying friends, family, or merchants directly from their accounts.

Bank Van Breda’s customers will additionally have the option to use Wero independently via a standalone app.

EPI’s CEO, Martina Weimert, underscored that Wero’s success relies on local bank partnerships to embed the service into consumers’ daily lives.

Having launched person-to-person payments in Belgium, France, and Germany in 2024, Wero plans to expand into e-commerce payments later this year, followed by in-store payments, subscription management, and loyalty features from 2026.

This expansion into Belgium bolsters EPI’s mission to build a unified, European-owned digital payments ecosystem capable of rivalling global card schemes, fostering interoperability, and reinforcing the continent’s financial sovereignty.

To learn more about the Belgian Payments Market – CLICK HERE