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Wero, EuroPA and the future of Europe's local payment methods

Europe's national payment methods are joining forces. What Wero and the EuroPA alliance mean for iDEAL, Bancontact, EPS, Bizum, MB WAY and the merchants who accept them.

WeroAPMsBelgiumAustriaSpainPortugal

For years, Europe’s online payments have been a patchwork. Dutch shoppers use iDEAL, Belgians Bancontact, Austrians EPS, Spaniards Bizum, Portuguese MB WAY and Poles BLIK. Each is excellent at home and almost unknown next door.

That’s starting to change, along two tracks.

Track one: Wero

Wero is the wallet from the European Payments Initiative (EPI), a company owned by European banks. It runs on instant bank payments and is spreading by absorbing or partnering with national schemes:

  • Netherlands: iDEAL is being folded into Wero, with Wero for Dutch shoppers from Q4 2026 and iDEAL expected to shut down in 2027–2028. See iDEAL is becoming Wero.
  • Belgium: Bancontact Company distributes Wero to Belgian merchants. Its Payconiq by Bancontact app was renamed Bancontact Pay, and new merchant stickers show Bancontact Pay and Wero together.
  • Austria: Erste Bank Oesterreich and Raiffeisen became EPI shareholders in 2026 to bring Wero to Austria, where EPS is the established online bank payment today.

Track two: EuroPA

The EuroPA alliance connects existing national mobile payment apps instead of replacing them. Its founding members include Spain’s Bizum and Portugal’s MB WAY, and the goal is to let a customer of one app pay or send money to a user of another across borders. Bizum, with more than 30 million users, is also expanding to in-store contactless payments in Spain from May 2026.

What it means for merchants

  • National brands still matter most, for now. Customers look for the logo they know. Keep showing iDEAL | Wero, Bancontact, Bizum, MB WAY, BLIK and EPS in their home markets.
  • Expect migrations. Logos, flows and contracts will change as schemes merge. A payment provider that handles these changes centrally saves you a lot of rework.
  • Cross-border reach will improve. As Wero and EuroPA grow, one method may cover customers in several countries.
  • Instant bank payments are the common thread. Fast settlement, low fees and no card-style chargebacks will become normal across Europe.

Tuskpay gives you all of these methods through one integration and keeps up with scheme changes for you. See all payment methods or talk to us.

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