Lidl has selected Wero, the European Payments Initiative's A2A payment method, for online purchases on Lidl.de.
The rollout begins in Germany, with EPI and Lidl planning to extend Wero acceptance to the online shops in Belgium and France later in 2026. According to the official press release, in-store payment acceptance is planned for later in the year as well.
Wero allows consumers to pay directly from their bank account via a mobile application, without routing the transaction through a card scheme. The method is designed for online and, eventually, in-store use, and is positioned by EPI as an alternative to existing card-based and wallet payment options in Europe.
Context: EPI's rollout strategy
EPI was established by a group of European banks and payment service providers to develop a domestic A2A payment scheme intended to reduce reliance on non-European card networks. Wero, the initiative's consumer-facing brand, has been rolled out progressively across EU markets, first for peer-to-peer transfers before extending into ecommerce and, in some markets, point-of-sale payments.
The agreement with Lidl follows this pattern: an initial launch in one market ahead of expansion into other countries where Lidl and Schwarz Group operate online shops. The phased approach mirrors EPI's broader go-to-market model, which has prioritised building acceptance among large-scale retailers before pursuing wider merchant coverage.
Nicola Bracht, Head of Schwarz Payment Solutions, said the launch reflects the company's focus on a seamless customer experience alongside data protection and IT security aligned with European standards, and that the group anticipates further expansion of Wero into a cross-channel payment method.
Moreover, Iryna Agieieva, Director of Product Management at Mollie, a payment service provider involved in EPI's merchant workshops, said that dialogue between EPI and payment service providers has shaped elements of Wero's rollout, including changes intended to support merchant adoption.
The addition of Lidl.de to Wero's acceptance network extends the scheme's reach among high-volume European online retailers. Whether Wero achieves broader adoption will depend on continued expansion into other national markets, extension to in-store payments, and the pace at which additional merchants and banks join the scheme. The Lidl agreement is one of several retailer partnerships EPI is pursuing as it builds out Wero's merchant-side acceptance following the earlier consumer-transfer phase of its rollout.
