Strengthening European payment sovereignty
Serving the European economy, payments are a key link with our clients, a unique source of data that helps us better serve them, and a source of revenue for the Group. They also contribute to strengthening sovereignty in a highly competitive global environment.
To enhance its clients’ experience, BNP Paribas is reinforcing its presence throughout the entire payment value chain. The Group is investing in resilient industrial infrastructure and supporting the development of innovative solutions to bolster Europe’s strategic autonomy in this area. Since 2020, BNP Paribas has been a shareholder in the European Payments Initiative (EPI), which aims to develop a leading digital payment solution in Europe. In 2024, EPI launched the Wero wallet, a unified, secure and sovereign digital payment service that enables individuals to send and receive money instantly.
50 MILLION USERS FOR WERO
After one year of operation in Germany, France and Belgium, Wero can already boast 50 million registered users and over 200 million transactions, totalling more than €20 billion. In 2025, the payment solution expanded into Luxembourg, with five banking institutions joining, including BGL BNP Paribas. It is planned that their clients will have access to the solution by June 2026. In addition to customers of Commercial & Personal Banking in France, BNP Paribas Fortis in Belgium, and Consorsbank in Germany, Wero has also been made available to customers of Hello bank! and Nickel since February 2025 and March 2026, respectively.
In addition to payments among individuals, EPI is expanding the use of Wero into the online and in-store payment markets. New features are also in the works, including subscription payments, loyalty programme integration, expense sharing and instalment payments. These features are aimed at providing individuals and professionals with a comprehensive solution to meet all their needs.
LAUNCH OF ESTREEM
As a further step to strengthen European payment sovereignty, BNP Paribas signed a strategic partnership with Groupe BPCE in February 2025 to create Estreem, a leading payment processor for cardholders and merchants. The joint venture will process all card payments from the two banking groups across Europe – around 17 billion transactions per year. In time, the processor’s services may be offered to other institutions. Already the market leader in France, handling 30% of the country’s card payments, Estreem aims to rank among Europe’s top three payment processors by the end of 2028.
INTEGRATION OF 1POINT6
The fintech company 1POINT6, a specialist in managing complex financial flows, has become a subsidiary of BNP Paribas. It provides a comprehensive European solution for marketplaces whose needs are not covered by the standardised payment infrastructures offered by major players. The company aims to become the leading European alternative in the payments landscape for marketplaces.