Digital Independence: Berlin wants to introduce European payment service Wero

Berliners will soon have to pay fees and other payments to the administration via the payment system Wero. This was decided by the digital committee of the House of Representatives, according to a report by Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB).

Wero -- a combination of We and Euro -- is a digital payment service that allows money to be transferred by providing a mobile phone number or an email address. It is intended to be positioned against US payment services such as Paypal.

To become independent of US services and corporations, Berlin has also decided to introduce Wero. Almost all parliamentary groups in the digital committee agreed to the Greens' motion, with only the AfD abstaining. The House of Representatives still has to approve it, reports RBB.

Wero has existed since 2024

Wero has been available since July 2024. Initially, the service only allowed instant transfers between private individuals. Since autumn 2025, Wero can also be used for online shopping. Introduction for stationary retail is planned.

The system is operated by the European Payments Initiative (EPI), an association of several European banks and payment service providers. At the start, customers of Sparkassen as well as Volks- und Raiffeisen-Banken could use the service. Meanwhile, others have been added, including Deutsche Bank or the British neobank Revolut.

Berlin's move is part of a movement to become independent of the major US corporations. This also includes the introduction of open-source software, as decided by the state of Schleswig-Holstein in 2024, for example. The state of Berlin is also planning such a step.

(wpl)