ACI Worldwide is now a principal member of the European Payments Initiative (EPI) and is planning to incorporate Wero, EPI’s pan-European digital wallet, into its Payments Orchestration Platform. Through this partnership, Wero will potentially be made available to a wider range of merchants, financial institutions, and payment intermediaries throughout Europe, So facilitating the expansion of instant account-to-account payments.
Strengthening Europe’s Instant Payments Ecosystem
Wero is a European digital wallet built on SEPA Instant Payment infrastructure, designed to simplify and unify payment experiences across the region. The solution supports peer-to-peer transfers, online purchases, and point-of-sale payments, with additional value-added services planned for future rollout.
Launched in 2024 by EPI-a consortium of 16 European banks and financial services organizations-Wero currently enables instant account-to-account payments for consumers in Belgium, France, and Germany.
Through the integration with ACI Worldwide’s Payments Orchestration Platform, businesses and payment providers will be able to offer Wero as an additional payment option, helping to expand consumer access and merchant acceptance across Europe.
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Supporting Cross-Border Payment Innovation
EPI continues to broaden Wero’s geographic reach, with planned expansion into Luxembourg and the Netherlands while evaluating opportunities in additional European markets.
Since late 2025, German and Belgian consumers have been able to use Wero for online purchases, while French consumers are expected to gain similar capabilities later this year. Additional services, including subscription payments, are planned for future releases, and in-store payment functionality is scheduled for launch in 2027.
The initiative aligns with the broader European shift toward instant payments following the implementation of the EU Instant Payments Regulation (IPR) in January 2025, which requires banks and payment service providers across the Eurozone to support both the sending and receiving of instant payments.
Growing Demand for Real-Time Payments
The integration is expected to contribute to the continued growth of instant payments across Europe. According to ACI Worldwide’s latest Prime Time for Real-Time report, instant payment transactions in Europe are projected to increase from 17.2 billion transactions in 2023 to 38.6 billion by 2028. By that time, instant payments are expected to account for 13% of all electronic payments in Europe, compared with 8% in 2023.
In addition to supporting Wero, ACI provides direct connectivity to instant payment networks throughout Europe and delivers payment orchestration capabilities to banks and payment service providers.
Executive Perspectives
“We are excited to announce our strategic partnership with EPI to make Wero a success across Europe,” commented Nick Craig, head of Europe, ACI Worldwide. “This collaboration leverages ACI’s advanced instant payment processing capabilities to address the fragmentation of payment methods in Europe, providing a unified solution which enables a seamless, secure and efficient payment experience for consumers and merchants. Wero will be an important addition to ACI’s best-in-class Payments Orchestration Platform, which has the industry’s widest reach of acquirers and APMs.”
“Seeing ACI joining EPI members’ ranks is a new step towards massive availability of Wero across our core markets and beyond. Through the integration onto ACI’s platform, all their merchants and their customers will be able to integrate Wero as a new payment solution, empowering their business and Europe’s resilience at large. Together, we are helping accelerate the development of a more connected, innovative and resilient European payments ecosystem,” said Martina Weimert, CEO of EPI.
Expanding Global Instant Payments Leadership
ACI Worldwide currently supports 26 domestic and pan-regional instant payment schemes across six continents, including 11 central payment infrastructures. Its solutions serve central banks, commercial banks, fintech companies, payment networks, and payment service providers.
Globally, ACI’s instant payments technology supports approximately one-third of the countries offering real-time payment services, reaching nearly 3 billion people through a network of governments, financial institutions, payment systems, and fintech organizations.
With the addition of Wero to its Payments Orchestration Platform, ACI Worldwide is further strengthening its role in Europe’s evolving payments landscape while supporting the region’s push toward greater payment interoperability, digital wallet adoption, and real-time transaction capabilities.
