Overview

• The Bavarian Sparkassen association announced that Wero will be usable for online shopping this autumn, with physical point‑of‑sale payments expected in 2026 or 2027.
• Created by the European Payments Initiative in 2024, the service currently operates in France, Germany and Belgium through major groups including the Sparkassen, Volksbanken, Deutsche Bank and Postbank.
• SVB vice‑president Stefan Proßer reported about 43 million registered users overall, including roughly 1.3 million at German Sparkassen and around 200,000 in Bavaria.
• Proßer said Wero’s merchant costs could be roughly 75–80% lower than credit cards and other payment providers.
• Surveys indicate awareness and active use remain limited, with Verivox urging broad online shop acceptance as the next step, while Austrian banks continue talks on joining.