Sending money to a friend after a restaurant, reimbursing your vacation share or transferring a few euros to your child: these small, everyday transfers have become commonplace. To simplify these exchanges, BoursoBank, 1st French online bank with more than 8.9 million customers, will integrate by the end of 2026 Wero, an instant payment solution developed by the European Payments Initiative (EPI). Its principle: to allow you to send or receive money with a simple telephone number, without having to enter the recipient’s IBAN.
Already used by more than 55 million people in Europe, including 72% in France according to EPI, Wero is based on instant transfers from account to account. The service will be directly accessible from the BoursoBank application and offered free of charge to all online banking customers. Notable feature: it will also be available for holders of the 10-17 offer. This will be a first in France for minor customers aged 10 and over.
Why is BoursoBank banking on Wero?
The integration of Wero is not the result of a recent decision. Xavier Prin, marketing and communications director of BoursoBank, explains that the bank had been following the development of the solution for several years And waited until its adoption was high enough before investing in its integration. “As long as the solution was not a local solution, we rather waited until the use and interest of the French were proven and demonstrated before making the developments”he explains.
For BoursoBank, the rise of instant transfers confirms this trend. In the first quarter of 2026, 88% of transfers made by its customers were already instant transferscompared to 83% a year earlier. More broadly, the bank emphasizes that in value terms, transfers today represent volumes almost five times higher than those of bank card payments. “From the moment this use is nationally democratized and used, it obviously makes sense for us to offer it to our customers”summarizes Xavier Prin.
How does Wero work?
Wero is based on instant transfer. In fact, money is transferred directly between users’ bank accounts in a few seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Once the service is activated in the BoursoBank application, the customer will no longer need to enter the recipient’s IBAN. All they need to do is select a contact from their telephone directory or enter their telephone number. “I choose a person and I send them the desired amount. It’s a simple, fluid, fast and free journey”summarizes Xavier Prin.
How to activate Wero on the BoursoBank application?
Using Wero will require a short activation step, but no additional installation will be necessary. The service will be directly integrated into the BoursoBank application and accessible from the “Transfers” tab. In fact, customers will simply have to select the Wero option and then register for the service the first time they use it. The operation will only take a few moments. “You click on Wero, you enroll in a few clicks and then we no longer ask you”explains Xavier Prin, marketing and communications director of BoursoBank.
Once activated, the user will be able to send or receive money directly from their address book, without having to enter the recipient’s IBAN. All you have to do is select a contact saved on your phone and indicate the amount to transfer. The beneficiary will then receive the funds within a few seconds, provided that he is also registered with the Wero service. The ceilings applied could be the same as those for instant transfers already offered by BoursoBank. By default, it is 15,000 euros.
What does this change for BoursoBank customers?
BoursoBank already offered a simple and seamless transfer system between bank customers via a telephone number. But this solution remained limited to its own ecosystem. With Wero, customers will now be able to exchange money with tens of millions of users belonging to other banking establishments participating in the system.
For online banking, the objective is to further simplify transfers between individuals. “Once I’m enrolled in Wero, the process is very simple and much smoother and faster than if I had to enter an IBAN, reference it and then send you money”explains the manager. Small reminder: the service will be completely free for BoursoBank customers.
BoursoBank will be the first bank to offer Wero to minors aged 10 and over
This is one of the particularities highlighted by the bank. Wero will be accessible to customers of the BoursoBank 10-17 offer, intended for minors. A first in France according to the establishment. “All our customers will have access to it, including minors from the age of 10 »says Xavier Prin. The difference lies in the very functioning of the offer for adolescents proposed by BoursoBank.
Unlike some competitors who rely on sub-accounts linked to parents, young customers have a real bank account with their own IBAN. “As with us, a minor truly has his own bank account, which he owns, he can send and receive transfers. With Wero, he will be able to do it even more simply, and always under the full control of his parents”explains Xavier Prin. Teenagers will be able to receive money from their parents or grandparents instantly directly into their account.
Can Wero compete with PayPal or Lydia?
For now, Wero is focusing on peer-to-peer payments, a market already occupied by players like PayPal and Lydia. Its main difference lies in its direct integration into applications banking.
Unlike PayPal, which requires a dedicated account, or some third-party payment apps, Wero relies directly on the user’s bank account. Money is transferred from account to account via instant transfer, without going through an intermediary e-wallet.
