Wero passes 120 online merchants as iDEAL migration starts in October

What happened

The European Payments Initiative (EPI) reports progress on several fronts for its payment solution, Wero. Banks in four countries have built Wero into their apps, most recently Bunq in the Netherlands. More than 120 online merchants accept Wero at checkout.

From October 2026, iDEAL will begin migrating to Wero. iDEAL is by far the most widely used online payment method in the Netherlands. Buyer protection will be introduced in stages through to 2028.

In Germany, Wero has replaced giropay, the German banks’ former online payment method, which was discontinued at the end of 2024. Payone, VR Payment, Unzer, Nexi, Worldline and Stripe support it.

Who is affected

Online merchants in Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. For merchants with Dutch customers, the iDEAL migration is a must. In many Dutch shops, iDEAL accounts for more than half of all payments.

Assessment

Wero is the most serious attempt in twenty years to set a European payment method against Visa, Mastercard and PayPal. The figures are respectable for a scheme that is two years old. But compared with PayPal, 120 merchants are a rounding error. The lever is not how many people use the banking apps. It is what the merchant pays per transaction, and whether the money lands in their account instantly and irrevocably.

That is why the iDEAL migration is the decisive moment. It moves millions of users and thousands of shops in the Netherlands in one go. If it runs smoothly, Wero gains a home market from which to spread into Germany. If it stumbles, Wero loses the trust of exactly the merchants it needs most.

For German shops, offering Wero costs little. Payment service providers usually include it as standard. If you place it prominently, you shape your own payment mix.

What to do now

1. Check whether your payment service provider already offers Wero, and ask for the per-transaction terms.
2. Shops with Dutch customers: schedule the switch from iDEAL to Wero with your provider before October revenue is affected.
3. Remove old giropay logos and wording from your checkout. The scheme has not existed since the end of 2024.