Europe has entered a new era of digital payments with Wero, a European‑built solution that makes paying, requesting money and shopping, both online and soon in stores, simple, fast and secure.
Now available to ING customers in Belgium, Germany and soon in the Netherlands, Wero is a payment system created in Europe, for Europe.
Why Wero?
Wero has been developed under the European Payments Initiative (EPI), a collaboration between major European banks and payment providers, including ING.
The EPI’s goal is to build a shared European payment platform that allows customers to make instant cross‑border payments. Wero uses SEPA Instant Payments which makes it possible to transfer money directly from account to account in less than 10 seconds.
Wero has been up and running since July 2024 and is currently available in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Luxembourg is expected to launch in July, this year. Currently, it serves around 48 million users.
Milestone for European payments
ING’s head of Payments Hans Overeem said Wero was a milestone for European payments.
“For the first time, we have a truly European, instant, account‑to‑account solution that makes everyday payments as simple, seamless and secure as our customers expect.
“This is an exciting development because it shows what we can achieve when European banks work together with a shared ambition.
“With Wero, we are not just introducing a new way to pay, we are strengthening Europe’s digital autonomy and laying the foundation for future innovation in online and mobile payments,” said Hans.
ING in Belgium and Wero
ING was one of the first Belgian banks to launch Wero in November 2024 allowing customers to make instant payments directly through ING’s app using a QR code, phone number or URL. Currently, ING in Belgium have over one million users.
In January, ING in Belgium also launched Wero e-commerce payments. Belgian customers can now pay with Wero at checkout of merchants by simply scanning a Wero QR code and confirming their purchase in seconds. No need for card details. Simple transfers directly from bank account. This innovation empowers merchants and consumers with a safe, efficient and truly European payment method.
ING in Germany and Wero
ING in Germany launched Wero peer-to-peer payments within the ING app in August 2025. More than 500,000 wallets have already been activated. Later this year, ING in Germany will enable customers to pay with Wero online.
ING in the Netherlands and Wero
ING’s move from iDEAL to Wero started this year, and many ING customers in the Netherlands would have already seen a new iDEAL / Wero logo appear in their payment options. Behind the scenes, we’re gradually shifting iDEAL payments over to the Wero platform with the full migration expected by the end of 2027.
By the end of 2026, iDEAL customers will have access to new features, such as purchase protection in case something goes wrong with an order. Wero will also enable merchants to offer new payment plans: from one click payments to payments at delivery. Wero is more than a successor to iDEAL. It is a gateway to Europe’s unified payments future.
United Europe
Earlier this week, EPI and other European payment providers, Bancomat, Bizum, SIBS-MB WAY and Vipps MobilePay signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at enabling seamless, cross-border payments across Europe by 2027.
What’s in a name?
Wero blends “we” and “euro” to express a unified European payment identity. It also echoes the Italian word vero, meaning “true”, giving the name a simple, memorable and distinctly European character.