(Reuters) -Five Belgian banks - Argenta, Bank Van Breda, Beobank, Crelan and vdk bank - said on Monday that they were joining the European Payments Initiative and that they would roll out the EPI's
Belgian Banks Collaborate on European Payments Initiative to Expand Wero Wallet
(Reuters) -Five Belgian banks - Argenta, Bank Van Breda, Beobank, Crelan and vdk bank - said on Monday that they were joining the European Payments Initiative and that they would roll out the EPI's digital wallet Wero to their customers next year.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT:
The EPI was set up by European banks in a bid to rival the dominance of U.S. companies Visa and Mastercard.
EPI has been hit in the past by some other banks leaving its network.
KEY QUOTES:
"By integrating Wero into our offering from 2026, we will empower our clients – entrepreneurs and liberal professions - with a fast, secure, and intuitive way to manage their payments which is fully aligned with their daily needs," said Bank Van Breda CEO Dirk Wouters.
BY THE NUMBERS:
According to the EPI, the Wero digital wallet it launched last year already has 40 million registered users across Belgium, France, and Germany.
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
