HiPay Joins European Payments Initiative to Scale Wero Payment Method Across Europe

HiPay has officially joined the European Payments Initiative (EPI) as a principal member, marking a significant step in the regional expansion of the Wero digital wallet. For fintech professionals, this partnership signals a maturing ecosystem for account-to-account payments, as major service providers move to integrate interoperable, pan-European alternatives to traditional card schemes and fragmented local wallets.

What was announced

HiPay, a French fintech specializing in multi-local payment processing, has become a principal member of the European Payments Initiative (EPI). The collaboration centers on the integration of Wero, a pan-European payment solution designed to provide a competitive, interoperable alternative to existing national methods. HiPay intends to leverage its existing infrastructure to deploy Wero across its merchant network, focusing on both e-commerce and physical retail environments.

The fintech brings extensive experience in managing diverse European payment landscapes. It currently supports several account-to-account (A2A) and wallet solutions, including Multibanco MB Way in Portugal and Bancontact in Belgium. Notably, HiPay is the only French player to offer Italy’s Bancomat Pay and also integrates Spain’s Bizum. With local teams stationed in Paris, Brussels, Lisbon, Milan, Madrid, and Munich, the company provides technical integration and performance optimization for these domestic methods.

The rollout of Wero follows successful proofs of concept demonstrating cross-border interoperability between MB Way, Bancomat Pay, and Wero via QR-code payments. HiPay plans to be among the first providers to launch Wero at the point of sale in France, utilizing existing checkout technologies such as card terminals and Tap to Pay. While Wero is already available for e-commerce in Germany and Belgium, it is scheduled to launch for online payments in France by the end of 2024 before expanding to physical stores.

"Offering Wero was an obvious choice for HiPay, we are happy and proud to join this major initiative. Our vision and strategy are indeed fully aligned with EPI's: making European commerce more fluid, more interoperable and more competitive. Wero is the payment solution natively designed for exchanges at the European scale, allowing us to capitalize on the latest advances in our sector, such as instant account-to-account payment."

Pierre Gironce, CEO of HiPay.

The companies involved

HiPay is a French fintech firm that specializes in multi-local payment solutions across Europe. The company focuses on reducing the technical and regulatory complexity for merchants operating on an international scale, allowing them to accept a wide variety of domestic payment methods through a single platform. By maintaining a physical presence in major European financial hubs, HiPay positions itself as a bridge between localized consumer preferences and global commerce requirements.

The European Payments Initiative (EPI) is the organization behind Wero, an ambitious project aimed at creating a unified, independent European payment standard. Comprising major European banks and payment service providers, EPI seeks to challenge the dominance of international card schemes by offering a digital wallet based on instant account-to-account transfers. The initiative focuses on building an interoperable ecosystem that respects local banking practices while providing a seamless cross-border experience for consumers and merchants alike.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has documented the steady progression of the Wero ecosystem as it moves toward full-scale implementation across the Eurozone. Recently, Orange Becomes First French Merchant to Launch Wero Payment Integration, providing a high-profile use case for subscription-based billing. This followed reports that the European Payments Initiative Begins Wero Migration in Luxembourg to Replace Payconiq, a move designed to consolidate fragmented local solutions under a single brand. Furthermore, the retail sector has seen early adoption in other markets, as seen when dm Integrates Wero E-Commerce Payments via Nexi and European Payments Initiative in Germany.

What this means

This partnership moves the needle by providing Wero with a sophisticated distribution channel through a provider that already understands the nuances of fragmented European markets. By integrating with HiPay, EPI is effectively bypassing the "chicken and egg" problem of merchant adoption, placing Wero alongside established local favorites like Bizum and MB Way. This puts immediate pressure on traditional card networks and domestic-only wallets that lack the technical agility to offer cross-border interoperability. The central question for the sector is whether the convenience of a unified European wallet can overcome the deeply ingrained consumer habit of using physical cards at the point of sale.