Wero expands to online payments in Belgium

European Payments Initiative has launched online payment functionality for its Wero digital wallet in Belgium, marking the second European market — after Germany — to enable ecommerce transactions through the emerging pan-European payment system.

Wero expands to online payments in Belgium

The rollout represents another milestone in Europe’s effort to build a home-grown alternative to global payment networks and Big Tech wallets.

With the addition of ecommerce payments, Wero moves beyond its initial focus on peer-to-peer transfers and invoice payments, expanding its role within the broader retail payments ecosystem.

Major Belgian Banks Back the Launch

The Belgian launch is initially supported by three major financial institutions: ING, KBC Group and BNP Paribas Fortis. Additional banks are expected to join the system over the coming months, including Belfius and a broader group of lenders such as Argenta, Beobank, Bunq, Crelan, Keytrade Bank, Nagelmackers, Revolut and vdk bank.

These institutions will progressively enable both peer-to-peer and ecommerce payments through Wero, gradually expanding the solution’s reach across Belgium’s banking sector during 2026.

Acquiring partners supporting the rollout include Worldline, Mollie and Stripe, alongside other local partners such as Buckaroo, Doccle and POM.

Early Merchant Adoption Signals Momentum

A number of merchants have already indicated their intention to enable Wero as a checkout option.

Early participants include retail and ecommerce groups such as Ahold Delhaize, Lidl and Bpost, alongside consumer brands including Just Russel, Pairi Daiza and Parfum Dreams.

These companies join merchants already announced in Germany, such as Air Europa, Decathlon, Dott, Eventim and Veepee.

Their participation will help establish Wero as a recognisable payment option for European consumers shopping online.

The system is built on a fully API-based infrastructure, designed to simplify merchant onboarding and enable seamless cross-border payments between participating markets.

Europe’s Strategic Push for Payment Sovereignty

Wero’s expansion reflects broader European ambitions to create a payment system governed within the region rather than relying heavily on international networks and technology platforms.

Advocates argue that a European-native payment solution strengthens data protection, operational resilience and long-term strategic autonomy.

Consumer demand appears supportive of this direction.

Research conducted by Kantar indicates that 65 per cent of Belgian consumers say they would consider using Wero for payments, with adoption interest particularly strong among younger users.

Looking ahead, the European Payments Initiative plans to introduce ecommerce capabilities in additional markets during 2026, including France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

In the Dutch market, the widely used iDEAL payment system has already begun migrating towards the Wero framework.

Over time, Wero’s roadmap extends beyond online payments to include in-store transactions, subscription payments and additional services such as loyalty integration.

While the success of a pan-European payment system is far from guaranteed, Belgium’s ecommerce launch represents another incremental step towards building a unified digital payments infrastructure designed — at least in principle — by Europeans for Europeans.