Orange becomes first merchant in France to offer Wero for bill payments

Orange has officially integrated Wero as a payment option for customer bills in France. This marks the first major merchant adoption of the European Payments Initiative's (EPI) digital wallet for recurring payments. Wero is a bank-backed alternative to international card networks like Visa and Mastercard. It allows customers to pay directly from their bank accounts using QR codes or mobile links, bypassing the traditional credit card rails. For retailers and operators, this signals a shift toward Account-to-Account (A2A) payments becoming a mainstream reality. While this specific launch is in France, the EPI is a consortium of 16 major European banks aiming to standardize digital payments across the continent. By adopting this technology, merchants can potentially lower their transaction fees compared to traditional credit cards. It also offers a more seamless checkout experience for customers who prefer mobile banking apps over physical plastic. The integration supports both one-off payments and recurring subscriptions, making it a direct competitor to debit card autopay systems. As this technology matures, it will likely provide a foundation for more integrated 'Buy Now, Pay Later' (BNPL) services directly through bank apps rather than third-party lenders.

Source: Finextra — Lending

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