From Paylib to Wero: The European Payment Revolution
Europe is undergoing a major transformation in the payments sector. After years of dominance by American giants like Visa and Mastercard, European banks have decided to take back control with a sovereign solution: Wero. This ambitious initiative marks the gradual end of national solutions like Paylib in France, in favor of a unified European payment system.
Paylib: The French Mobile Payment Pioneer
What Was Paylib?
Launched in 2013, Paylib represented one of France's first attempts to create an alternative to American payment solutions. This mobile payment system was backed by an impressive consortium of French banks:
- BNP Paribas
- Société Générale
- Banque Populaire
- Caisse d'Epargne
- Crédit Mutuel
- La Banque Postale
Paylib's Features
Paylib offered three main types of services:
1. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Payments Users could instantly send money using just a phone number, without needing to know the recipient's bank details.
2. Online Payments Paylib enabled secure e-commerce payments without having to re-enter banking credentials for each transaction.
3. In-Store Payments Using NFC technology, users could pay with their smartphones in physical stores.
Paylib's Limitations
Despite its ambitions, Paylib never succeeded in becoming the national standard. Several factors explain this limited adoption:
- Geographic fragmentation: limited to the French market only
- Fierce competition: Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal already dominated the market
- Lack of visibility among the general public
- No interoperability with neighboring countries' solutions
Wero: The Pan-European Ambition
What is Wero?
Wero is the payment solution developed by the European Payments Initiative (EPI), an initiative bringing together 16 banks and payment service providers from several European countries. Unlike Paylib, which was a Franco-French solution, Wero has continental ambition: to become the leading payment solution in Europe.
Impressive Infrastructure
Since its launch in summer 2024, Wero has posted impressive numbers:
- Over 40 million registered users
- Present in three countries from launch: Belgium, France, and Germany
- Instant and free payments between users
- Account-to-account payment technology
EPI Members
The Wero ecosystem is backed by Europe's largest banking institutions:
Netherlands
- ABN Amro
- ING
- Rabobank
Belgium
- Argenta, Bank van Breda, Belfius
- BNP Paribas Fortis
- Crelan, KBC/CBC
- ING Belgium
- Keytrade Bank
- vdk Bank
France
- BFCM (Crédit Mutuel, CIC, Monabanq)
- BNP Paribas
- BPCE (Banque Populaire, Caisse d'Epargne, BRED, etc.)
- Crédit Agricole, LCL
- Crédit Mutuel Arkéa
- La Banque Postale
- Société Générale
Germany
- Deutsche Bank, Postbank
- Sparkassen (savings banks)
- Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken
- ING Germany
And now: Revolut (since June 2025)
The Transition: From Paylib to Wero
A European Evolution
Wero isn't just replacing Paylib in France. It's a genuine consolidation of national payment solutions across Europe:
- France: Paylib → Wero
- Netherlands: iDEAL → Wero
- Belgium and Germany: Direct Wero integration
This transition creates a critical mass of users and merchants at European scale, an essential condition for competing with American giants.
Gradual Rollout
Wero's deployment timeline is ambitious yet realistic:
✅ 2024: Phase 1 - P2P Payments
- Instant and free transfers between individuals
- Available in Belgium, France, and Germany
- Over 40 million registered users
🔜 Second Half 2025: Phase 2 - E-commerce
- Online merchant payments
- European alternative to PayPal and bank cards
- Simplified merchant integration
🔜 2026 and Beyond: Phase 3 - Complete Ecosystem
- In-store payments
- Subscription management
- Loyalty programs
- Expansion to other European countries
The Strategic Partnership with Revolut
A Major Announcement (June 2025)
In June 2025, Revolut became a member of the EPI network, marking a turning point for Wero. This partnership brings several decisive advantages:
For Revolut
- Offers a local payment solution to European customers
- Strengthens its positioning as a "European bank"
- Allows customers to "pay like locals"
For Wero
- Instant access to millions of additional customers
- Enhanced credibility with an innovative fintech
- Accelerated expansion in three key markets
Integrated Features
Revolut customers in France, Belgium, and Germany will have access to Wero directly from their Revolut app:
- Instant and free money transfers
- Secure, frictionless payments
- Familiar Revolut interface
- Future e-commerce and in-store features
According to David Tirado, Vice President of Global Business at Revolut: "Facilitating access to free and instant payments is no longer an advantage, it's a necessity."
Why Wero Matters for Europe
Payment Sovereignty
The main challenge for Wero goes beyond technical considerations. It's about digital sovereignty:
- Reducing dependence on American infrastructure (Visa, Mastercard)
- Protecting European citizens' data
- Control over transaction fees
- Resilience of the European payment system
Consumer Benefits
Free of Charge Unlike bank cards that generate commissions, Wero payments are free for users.
Instant Transfers are immediate, 24/7, even on weekends and holidays.
Secure Based on the highest European standards, with strong authentication and fraud protection.
Simple A single identifier (phone number or email address) is enough to send or receive money.
Merchant Benefits
- Cost reduction: transaction fees much lower than bank cards
- Guaranteed payments: elimination of payment rejection risk
- Speed: funds available immediately
- Easy integration: unified API for all of Europe
Challenges Ahead
Established Competition
Wero must face already well-established players:
- Apple Pay and Google Pay: omnipresent on smartphones
- PayPal: online payment leader
- Bank cards: deeply ingrained habits
- Other fintechs: Stripe, Adyen, etc.
Behavior Change
The biggest challenge remains cultural: convincing millions of Europeans to change their payment habits. This requires:
- Massive communication
- Flawless user experience
- Merchant adoption
- Sufficient network effect
Geographic Expansion
To succeed, Wero will need to quickly expand to other major European countries:
- Italy
- Spain
- Poland
- Nordic countries
Wero's Future
Long-Term Vision
Martina Weimert, CEO of EPI Company, is clear about the ambition: "This is a new chapter in how payments are experienced on this continent."
The goal is to make Wero the European payment standard, used as naturally as:
- WeChat Pay in China
- UPI in India
- Pix in Brazil
Future Innovations
Beyond current features, Wero could evolve toward:
- Simplified cross-border payments throughout Europe
- European digital identity
- Integrated financial services (credit, savings, investment)
- Open banking and advanced personalization
- Programmable and automated payments
Conclusion: A Historic Opportunity
The transition from Paylib to Wero symbolizes a paradigm shift in European payments. Where Paylib was a national solution with limited ambitions, Wero represents a genuine European alternative to American payment giants.
With over 40 million users in just a few months, support from 16 major banking institutions, and now Revolut's membership, Wero has the necessary assets to succeed. The Revolut partnership is particularly symbolic: an innovative fintech that disrupted the banking sector is teaming up with the European banking establishment to build the future of payments together.
For French consumers, this transition will be gradual and transparent. Paylib features will progressively migrate to Wero, offering a welcome European dimension for those who travel or do business in other EU countries.
Wero's success is not yet guaranteed – the challenges are numerous – but for the first time in a long while, Europe has a credible, sovereign, and innovative payment solution. History will tell us whether Wero will succeed in reclaiming European digital sovereignty in the crucial domain of payments.
Useful Links:
- Wero official website: wero-wallet.com
- European Payments Initiative: www.epicompany.eu