A European payments network is not one app or payment rail. The phrase can describe EU-wide rules for instant euro transfers, Wero’s wallet, or a new effort to connect national payment services across borders. What consumers and merchants can use today depends on their country, provider and the type of payment.
Three different things people mean by a European payments network
EU rules for instant euro transfers
These rules set a baseline for euro-area payment providers. They do not require customers to use Wero or another particular wallet. The European Commission says providers had to support receiving instant euro payments from January 2025 and, from 9 October 2025, had to offer sending them too. Providers must offer free verification that the payee’s name matches the IBAN, and cannot charge more for an instant transfer than for a standard credit transfer. The Commission’s explanation of the rules sets out these obligations.
Wero, EPI’s wallet
Wero is the European Payments Initiative’s digital wallet and account-to-account payment solution. Rather than being a standalone card product, it is designed to move money directly between accounts. The European Payments Council interview with EPI CEO Martina Weimert describes account-to-account payments as a core design choice, including the ability for users to check their balance before paying. Read the interview with Weimert.
The European Network for Payments
Announced on 30 September 2026, the European Network for Payments is an initiative by Bancomat, Bizum, EPI/Wero, SIBS–MB WAY and Vipps MobilePay to connect participating national payment solutions through a shared technical and operational layer. Its founding partners said technical implementation was being prepared. The planned first phase is cross-border person-to-person payments, with e-commerce and point-of-sale payments intended for later phases. The announcement describes the partners and planned rollout; it does not say that cross-border merchant payments are already available.
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What consumers can use—and what is still rolling out
The practical questions are whether a consumer’s bank or provider supports the service, whether it is live in the relevant country, and whether the recipient or merchant accepts it. Instant euro transfers under EU rules and payments through Wero are related, but they are not interchangeable: the rules apply broadly to eligible providers, while Wero is a particular wallet whose availability and features vary by market.
EPI’s announcements describe a phased Wero rollout. In its 2 September 2026 update, EPI reported Wero availability in Belgium, France and Germany and a migration from Payconiq in Luxembourg. On 30 September, it said online payments were live in Germany, while Belgium and Luxembourg had the then-available range of use cases, including in-store payments. Migration from iDEAL in the Netherlands was underway, and an Austrian launch was expected in 2027. These are company-reported status updates; check with your provider for current local availability and supported uses. EPI’s Luxembourg rollout update and the network announcement describe the reported rollout.
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For consumers, the potential upside is faster movement of money and, if interoperability is implemented, the ability to use familiar domestic services with more people or businesses across participating markets. The scale figures reported so far refer to different things and should not be treated as directly comparable:
| Figure | What it counts | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| More than 43.5 million | Registered Wero users after its first 12 months | EPI, 2025 |
| More than €7.5 billion | Transfers during Wero’s first year | EPI, 15 September 2025 |
| 58 million | Users reported by EPI in its Luxembourg rollout announcement | EPI, 2 September 2026 |
| Approximately 130 million across 13 European countries | Combined reach attributed to the participating solutions | European Network for Payments founding partners, 30 September 2026 |
The first two numbers are first-year figures; the later EPI figure is a separate company-reported user count, and the 130 million figure is the partners’ combined reach, not a count of Wero users. EPI’s first-year update gives the dated first-year totals.
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What the change could mean for merchants
A connected network could give merchants another way to accept payments and potentially help them serve customers who use participating services. That prospect is not the same as universal acceptance. The practical value depends on customer adoption, country, channel, and whether the merchant’s payment service provider or acquirer supports the method.
- Availability: Ask whether Wero or the relevant network service is supported in the country and channel where you sell, such as online checkout or in-store.
- Integration and operations: Confirm what technical setup is required and how refunds, disputes and settlement are handled.
- Total cost: Compare the terms offered by your provider with your existing payment methods. The cited announcements do not establish a universal fee advantage or guaranteed sales increase.
- Customer fit: Consider whether your customers already use participating services; potential reach is not the same as active use at your checkout.
The ECB’s policy goals for pan-European payment solutions include reach and customer experience, convenience and low cost, safety and efficiency, European branding and governance, and long-term global acceptance. These are objectives, not proof that every solution has already achieved them. The Eurosystem’s 2026 payments strategy also notes that instant payments are growing: SCT Inst represented 33.7% of total SCT and SCT Inst credit-transfer volume in Q4 2025, up from 19.7% in Q3 2024, according to European Payments Council data cited by the ECB.
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What to watch next
The clearest distinction is between what is already required, what is available in some markets and what remains planned. Instant euro-transfer obligations establish a broad baseline for providers in the euro area. Wero’s features are arriving by country and use case. The European Network for Payments has announced a direction and phased plan, beginning with cross-border person-to-person payments; later merchant phases still depend on implementation.
The ECB describes instant payments as electronic retail payments processed in real time, around the clock, with funds immediately available to the recipient. It supports market-led pan-European payment solutions while assessing whether they meet its policy objectives. Its retail payments strategy explains the role it sees for pan-European solutions, including resilience.
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