A new European payment system, Wero, has been launched to make mobile transfers easier.
The majority of savings banks and cooperative banks in Germany are now using Wero - operated by the European Payments Initiative (EPI) - to enable payments from one mobile phone to another.
Unlike a conventional bank transfer, Wero users do not need a 22-digit account number, or IBAN, for the recipient. Instead, they can use a mobile phone number or email address to transfer money in real time, that is within 10 seconds.
It should also be possible to pay online with Wero from 2025 and in high-street stores from 2026.
The Belgian bank KBC is also involved in the Wero launch. Other partner banks from the Netherlands and France are set to follow.
However, EPI member Deutsche Bank, its subsidiary Postbank and ING Bank are not yet on board, but experts expect them to launch this year.
Commerzbank and new banks such as N26, which are not participating in the EPI and Wero, have been left out.
EPI is a joint venture of 14 banks and two payment companies. The partners want to compete against large US financial groups such as Mastercard, Visa and PayPal.
The aim is also to stop the advance of Apple Pay and Google Pay. The smartphone payment solution Twint from Switzerland, which is very popular in the Alpine republic, is a role model.
"Wero will strengthen European sovereignty in payment transactions," said Joachim Schmalzl, member of the management board of the German Savings Banks Association (DSGV) and chairman of the supervisory board of EPI. "Until now, we have not had our own common payment method in Europe."
Even established systems such as the Girocard in Germany or the Carte Bancaire in France are dependent on non-European providers for cross-border payments, emphasized Schmalzl.
"Wero will end this dependency sustainably and in the long term by offering a European alternative and thus also keeping the added value in the area of payment transactions within Europe."
Customers of the savings banks and cooperative banks do not need to install a new app on their smartphone to try out Wero, but can activate the function in their banking app.
Anyone who not only wants to send money via Wero, but also receive it, must also enter a mobile phone number or email address in the banking app.