The global payment processor will offer Wero to its clients in the next several months, boosting the payment method’s chances of becoming a viable competitor to Visa and Mastercard.
Worldpay is set to introduce the Wero as a payment method across its European customer base after joining the European Payments Initiative (EPI) today (24 March).
By joining the EPI as a ‘principal member’, Worldpay will be able to offer Wero as a payment method in the coming months, intending to add more flexibility for their customers at checkout.
As a Global Payments company, acquired in January 2026, the adoption of Wero will also enable Worldpay to grow its payment acceptance capabilities in Europe. The company already has a strong European presence, with offices in the UK, France, Germany and Spain.
Launched in 2024, Wero is a mobile payment method that supports account-to-account (A2A) payments, as well as QR code payments and SEPA Instant Credit Transfer rails. It is active in three European countries: Belgium, France, and Germany.
As Wero can offer instant payments, Worldpay will look to support merchants by acquiring processors to boost conversions and maintain customer and merchant satisfaction.
James Fry, Head of Enterprise Product of Global Payments, said: “Consumers increasingly expect flexibility at checkout. By 2030, we expect mobile’s share of e-commerce will be nearly 65%.
“Our collaboration with Wero gives European clients another secure way to meet those expectations – complementing existing payment options and enhancing the experience they are able to offer their customers.”
Wero’s European growth
Many have argued that Wero has been developed and launched by the EPI to become Europe’s answer to compete against Visa and Mastercard, which have maintained a market monopoly for decades. Although others have argued it is more aligned with the design of Apple Pay.
Speaking to the Financial Times earlier this year, Martina Weimert, chief executive of the EPI, noted the region was “highly dependent” on international payment solutions.
“Yes, we have nice national assets like domestic [payment] card schemes . . . but we don’t have anything cross-border. If we say independence is so crucial and we all know it’s a timing issue . . . we need action urgently,’’ she said.
According to Global Payments, since its launch, Wero has processed peer-to-peer (P2P) and A2A payments for more than 52 million customers.
The European native payment method was widely discussed during the Merchant Payments Ecosystem (MPE) event in Berlin across all three days last week.
With the backing of up to 16 European banks, including BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank, Wero has the ability to offer both A2A and P2P transactions, as well as cross-border payments, providing it a competitive advantage over local European payment methods, such as BLIK and Bizum.
“(Wero) is not exactly starting from zero. All the previous attempts have not been successful, so why is this different?,” said David Rintel, CEO of Finby, during a keynote presentation on day two of MPE.
“Wero is starting with very strong backing of key retail banks across three large markets – Belgium, France and Germany, and they will have a true cross-border presence from day one.”
