Belgian payment provider Payworld is expanding Wero acceptance into physical stores, allowing customers to pay by scanning a Wero QR code displayed directly on a payment terminal.
The integration means that shoppers do not need a separate QR display, printed code or merchant smartphone to initiate a Wero payment. Instead, the terminal itself generates and displays the QR code during checkout. Customers scan it with the Wero app or a supported banking app, review the transaction and approve the payment on their phone. The terminal then confirms the transaction.
The development forms part of Wero’s expansion from person-to-person and online payments into physical retail. Wero is the digital wallet and account-to-account payment service developed by the European Payments Initiative (EPI), a partnership involving European banks and financial institutions. It allows users to send and receive money, pay online and, increasingly, pay in physical stores directly from a bank account.
Wero’s in-store model is based on QR codes rather than card payments. At checkout, the payment terminal displays a transaction-specific code. The customer scans it, checks the merchant and amount in the Wero wallet and authorises the payment using their usual authentication method, such as Face ID, fingerprint or a PIN. Wero says these terminal-generated QR codes are designed for one-time use and expire after the transaction.
For Payworld, the development fits its existing terminal infrastructure. The Belgian company provides fixed and mobile payment terminals for merchants, including the A80, A35, A920 Pro, A8900, A50 and A77. Its terminals already support card, contactless and QR payments, while its cloud-based platform allows merchants to manage terminals and integrate them with point-of-sale systems.
QR payments are already familiar in many markets. However, Wero’s account-to-account payment flow is being built into the same device merchants already use at checkout. This gives the payment system a route into existing physical payment infrastructure. Instead of requiring merchants to add a separate QR stand or another device, the Wero payment option can appear as part of the terminal’s checkout flow.
Wero representatives estimated that more than 48,000 merchants across Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have already processed Wero transactions online or in-store.
In Belgium, in particular, Wero is replacing Payconiq. During September 2026, Wero users can scan both Wero QR codes and eligible Payconiq QR codes. But already in October, the Payconiq app will no longer be available, and starting in January 2027, only Wero QR codes will be supported.
In the Netherlands, local dominant online payment system iDEAL also migrates to the pan-European digital wallet Wero this year.
