A European alternative to American credit card payments
The Netherlands is on the brink of a change in digital payments. Starting in early 2026, the familiar payment method iDEAL will gradually be replaced by Wero.
Wero is an initiative of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), a collaboration between sixteen major European banks, including Dutch banks ABN AMRO, ING, and Rabobank, which are also behind iDEAL. The goal of this collaboration is clear: Europe aims to create its own independent and unified payment system that can compete with international players like Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal. By developing a joint European platform, European banks and governments want to reduce dependence on non-European parties while simultaneously enhancing the security and stability of the European payment infrastructure.
Wero also brings new functionalities
For Dutch consumers and entrepreneurs, the payment experience will largely remain familiar for now. Like iDEAL, Wero works with direct bank payments through your own bank account. Selecting the bank and approving the payment proceeds in the same way you are used to. The familiar sense of security that iDEAL offers is thus maintained. At the same time, Wero is working on functionalities such as purchase protection and other features that somewhat resemble credit card functionalities. This means that the buyer can dispute the transaction via Wero up to 120 days after the payment, for example, if the delivery is incorrect. Unlike credit cards, Wero does not automatically reverse the payment. Instead, the customer and supplier first go through a dispute procedure where they seek a solution together. If the customer and supplier cannot reach an agreement, the dispute goes to the debtor’s bank, which decides on a reversal.
