EPI welcomes Erste Bank Oesterreich, Raiffeisen Bank International and Raiffeisen Landesbanken as new shareholders
June 21, 2026
EPI welcomes Erste Bank Oesterreich, Raiffeisen Bank International and Raiffeisen Landesbanken as new shareholders
Leading Austrian banking groups will bring Wero to Austrian customers, extending the reach of Europe’s account-to-account payment solution and supporting its continued growth across Europe.
Brussels / Vienna – 22 June 2026 - European Payments Initiative (EPI) today announced the addition of two new shareholders: Erste Bank Oesterreich and Raiffeisen (Raiffeisen Bank International and three Raiffeisen Landesbanken) will join EPI as shareholders.
With the shareholder support of leading financial institutions, Wero continues to expand its reach and deliver a simple, secure and real-time payment experience for consumers and merchants alike.
Together, Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien, Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich and Raiffeisen-Landesbank Steiermark also intend to join RBI as EPI shareholders and support the rollout of Wero in Austria, subject to their relevant supervisory board approvals.
With a population of approximately 9 million people, Austria represents a strategic growth market for Wero, supporting its ambition to build a leading pan-European payment solution. The support of Erste Bank Oesterreich and Raiffeisen Banks, Austria's largest players serving the majority of Austrian users, will provide a strong foundation for Wero’s market adoption and future growth.
We are delighted to welcome Erste Bank Oesterreich, Raiffeisen Bank International and the Raiffeisen Landesbanken to EPI as shareholders. Their commitment reinforces the momentum behind Wero at a time when our European expansion continues to accelerate. With more than 55 million users already served today and further growth expected through ongoing expansion in Luxembourg, the Netherlands and now Austria, Wero is entering a new phase of growth across Europe. The participation of Erste and Raiffeisen Bank further strengthens our mission to build a resilient and truly pan-European payment network.
We have a proven track record in providing our customers with secure and convenient innovations as well as a freedom of choice for their payment solutions. We continue this philosophy by adding Wero to our services, having proven to be a compelling and secure solution. As a shareholder of EPI, we aim to not only provide this solution to our clients, but take also an active role in shaping it.
The shareholding of Raiffeisen Banks in Austria together with Raiffeisen Bank International underlines our commitment to shaping the future of payments in Austria and across Europe. Providing customers and merchants with innovative alternatives such as Wero is a key step toward greater choice and efficiency in the European payments landscape. We are determined to actively drive the expansion and adoption of these solutions across our markets.
About Erste Bank Oesterreich
Erste Bank Oesterreich, the Austrian subsidiary of Erste Group, is the lead institution of the Austrian Sparkassen group (Eng.: saving banks). Together with the 46 regional Sparkassen, it is one of the country’s largest banking groups. For over 200 years, Erste Bank and Sparkassen have been committed to promoting financial well-being for their 4.3 million private customers and small and medium-sized enterprises through a comprehensive range of products and personalised services. The Sparkassen group provides a full range of financial products: from savings accounts, home and consumer loans, investments, current accounts, bank cards, insurance and leasing to pension fund solutions.
About Raiffeisenlandesbank NÖ-Wien
Raiffeisenlandesbank NÖ-Wien (RLB NÖ-Wien) is a modern regional and universal bank and the leading institution of the Raiffeisen Banking Group in Lower Austria and Vienna. While Raiffeisen Stadtbank Wien focuses primarily on Austria’s capital city, the locally active and independent Raiffeisen banks are the market leaders in Lower Austria.
About Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich Aktiengesellschaft
Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich (RLB OÖ), with total consolidated assets of approximately EUR 49 billion, is the fifth-largest bank in Austria. With a comprehensive investment portfolio of around 350 companies and a network of 63 Raiffeisen banks operating 344 branches in Upper Austria, RLB OÖ forms a stable triangle that actively contributes to shaping the regional economy and provides strong momentum both regionally and across Austria. Its broad engagement in corporate investments represents a central pillar of RLB OÖ’s business model. In addition to holdings in the banking and financial sector, affiliated financial service providers, and real estate, RLB OÖ acts as a stable core shareholder in leading industrial and food companies. Consequently, the provision of equity capital — alongside its traditional universal banking activities — constitutes a key element of RLB OÖ’s strategic positioning. Beyond Upper Austria, RLB OÖ is also successfully active in Germany through its own branch offices. Furthermore, RLB OÖ maintains a global network of partner banks, enabling it to support its customers’ business activities worldwide.
About Raiffeisen-Landesbank Steiermark
Raiffeisen-Landesbank Steiermark is the central institution of the Raiffeisen Banking Group Styria and one of Austria’s leading regional banks. With more than 800,000 corporate and retail banking relationships across the group, it plays a key role in supporting the region’s economic development. The bank operates across all major areas of banking, from traditional lending and financing services to institutional capital markets. In addition, Raiffeisen-Landesbank Steiermark plays an active role as an investor in forward-looking businesses with strong future potential, helping to drive innovation, growth, and long-term value creation. This commitment benefits not only the companies it supports, but also the region as a whole.
For more information, visit: raiffeisen.at
About Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI)
RBI regards Austria, where it operates as a leading corporate and investment bank, and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as its home market. 11 markets in the region are covered by subsidiary banks, and the RBI Group also includes numerous other financial services companies, for example in the areas of leasing, asset management and M&A. Around 42,000 employees serve 18.6 million customers in around 1,300 branches, the vast majority of which are in the CEE region. The RBI share is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange. The regional Raiffeisen banks hold around 61.2 percent of RBI, with the remainder in free float. Within the Raiffeisen Banking Group, RBI is the central institution of the regional Raiffeisen banks and other affiliated credit institutions.
About EPI
EPI (or European Payments Initiative) is supported by 18 European banks and payment service providers. Beyond the shareholders, over 50 institutions in Europe are now members of EPI. They have joined forces with a common goal: to offer a unified mobile payment service, to all European companies and citizens, Wero. EPI intends to enable European consumers and merchants and to carry out all types of retail transactions simply, via a resolutely sovereign digital wallet.
Find out more at epicompany.eu and follow us on LinkedIn
About Wero
Based on instant account-to-account (A2A) payments, Wero further streamlines payments in Europe by eliminating intermediaries in the payment chain and the associated additional costs. Wero already supports payments between individuals, and will shortly unveil payments to professionals (P2Pro). Wero has been live for P2P payments in Belgium, France, and Germany since 2024, currently serving 55 million users. For retail payments, Wero is live in Germany since the end of 2025 with progressive roll-out in France and Belgium throughout 2026. Major migrations of at least 15 million consumers are also planned for Payconiq in Luxembourg (by 2026) and iDEAL in the Netherlands (by 2027). Point-of-sale payments will also be offered in 2026, as well as value-added services such as integration of merchant loyalty programs and recurring payments and subscription management.
Find out more at wero-wallet.eu and follow us on Instagram , Facebook and Wero’s LinkedIn
EPI/Wero media contact: media@epicompany.eu