this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2026
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Europe

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[–] username_1@programming.dev 220 points 6 days ago (4 children)

I don't see how breaking up with US payment systems is a problem, let alone a 24 trillion problem. Sounds like something good. The article (don't laugh, but I have read it) states the same.

[–] silver@das-eck.haus 170 points 6 days ago (2 children)

This guy read the article before he commented, everyone laugh at him!

[–] username_1@programming.dev 62 points 6 days ago (2 children)

You're not better: you have read a comment in full before answering to it. Shameful!

[–] fisch@lemmy.world 41 points 6 days ago (3 children)
[–] Kissaki@feddit.org 4 points 5 days ago

Thanks for asking, the weather is pretty nice today.

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[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 19 points 6 days ago

It's a problem for visa and mastercard, I guess πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ certainly not for Europe...

[–] svcg@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 5 days ago

I feel like whoever wrote the headline fucked it up, because the article reads more like that Visa/MasterCard payments are a 24 trillion problem, and wero is a potential solution.

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[–] exaybachae@startrek.website 123 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (8 children)

Fund tranfering should be a gov service provided at cost and maintained as a partnership between nations to make commerce easy for their citizens.

Profit shouldn't even be a concern.

[–] The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org 17 points 6 days ago (1 children)

(gov provided) services should never be for profit

[–] reksas@sopuli.xyz 14 points 6 days ago

government = people who live in the country. So government services are literally by the people for the people. trying to profit from them is like having a parasite.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 4 points 5 days ago

For bank transfers this is already a thing, it's called SEPA. Transfers are instant and free (to the user at least, no idea if the banks have to pay).

But yes, there should be an equivalent thing for in-person payments too.

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[–] Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 55 points 6 days ago (2 children)

problem

Slop title.
The solutions are ready, super cheap, and the transition period gradual & managed.

It is a revenue problem for MasterCard & Visa, bcs no more free monies for them.

[–] AliSaket@mander.xyz 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

And no more data as well. Don't forget about the consumer data.

Oh, yes, absolutely a valid point!
That has enormous consequences, third parties & data brokers are making a killing & worsen our society.

[–] Jay101@lemmy.world 33 points 6 days ago (2 children)

When? This has been happening for many years now. Slower than turtle.

[–] Bloefz@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

Yes.. When please :(

[–] Tortellinius@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago (5 children)

I mea, they did release Wero

[–] Bloefz@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Which does nothing for point of sale at present, it is only vaguely 'planned'.

In Europe we didn't really rely on credit cards for online payments anyway. It was an option but far from the only one. The problem was just that each country had their own system which was a PITA. Wero unifies those. Handy for webmasters, but geopolitically not a gamechanger.

The big problem is PoS payments where MC/Visa are king and basically have a duopoly. I don't know why Wero didn't start with the elephant in the room.

[–] Jay101@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

Yes, Wero is there it is made up of consortium of banks and not unified interface. Also, the adoption itself is very poor.

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[–] whvholst@feddit.org 45 points 6 days ago (8 children)

The article omits that Wero is running on top of AWS. So still the same problem, just slightly lower in the stack.

[–] alfredon996@feddit.it 30 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It's easier to replace AWS with a European alternative, than Visa or Mastercard. So the problem is smaller.

[–] whvholst@feddit.org 5 points 5 days ago

True, and I also did not mean to let better be the enemy of good. Just that we're not in the clear yet.

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 17 points 6 days ago

Centralized problems are generally easier to solve than distributed problems. Depending on their architecture moving to an EU cloud provider could range from tricky but manageable to very painful , but it's a centralized IT problem that can be attacked and solved. Getting every retail vendor to support Wero is much harder, and is being solved apparently.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 10 points 6 days ago

Valid point.
But technically an easier transition to own solutions at some point.

Wero has its roots before the overall critical industry 'digital independence' got enough attention (in the recent year), it was more about solving a specific duopoly (that a lot of banks & startups started solving anyway, just way more fragmented).

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[–] BenchpressMuyDebil@szmer.info 41 points 6 days ago (6 children)

Wero lets users send money using just a phone number

No, Wero lets users send money using a smartphone. If there's no desktop interface (like Poland's BLIK) I'm gonna be disappointed. I know India's UPI runs on HMD dumbphones, would be nice to have something like this.

[–] blackbeans@lemmy.zip 11 points 6 days ago

That's a question for your bank. Wero is a system designed for mobile payments between banks, but in 95% of all cases it's your bank implementing it for the user.

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[–] notsosure@sh.itjust.works 52 points 6 days ago (7 children)

I’ve been using Wero for a while. What’s missing are vendors that accept it online, also when hiring a car.

[–] Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 16 points 6 days ago (10 children)

I hope Wero becomes a EU standard. Sadly our banks have their own system Flik bu the issue is you literally cannot use it to pay anywhere. But they refuse tp accept wero due to having their own system.

[–] Anafabula@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I would much prefer a digital euro based on GNU Taler, but I guess Wero might at least be better than the status quo

[–] Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

I am conflicted on the digital euro. But a mastercard/visa alternative is 100% needed

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[–] ViatorOmnium@piefed.social 7 points 6 days ago

It's getting there. Lots of online stores are looking into it now that more banks joined.

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[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 35 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Hopefully, Europe will offer options to Americans. I want to enjoy my perverse media, and to oppose christofascist organizations.

[–] null@lemmy.org 45 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Fuck Visa and Fuck Mastercard, they have no business dictating what people are allowed to buy. Just process the fucking payment.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 11 points 6 days ago

Even without them dictating that having absolute core infrastructure privately owned (and in a foreign country at that) is insane.

Not to mention them being profit driven & expensive.

[–] GreenBeanMachine@lemmy.world 34 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

It's a $24 trillion opportunity, that Americans are gonna lose.

[–] huppakee@piefed.social 31 points 6 days ago

a $24 trillion problem for Visa and Mastercard maybe

[–] verdi@tarte.nuage-libre.fr 27 points 6 days ago

It's a serious problem, but not for Europe. Fuck US megacorps.

[–] BrickEater@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago (6 children)

Good, as an american, fuck em. I cant wait to see the US crash and burn.

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[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Europe just seems to be making all the right moves. Made apple go usb-c. This. Privacy laws. And more.

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[–] Foni@piefed.zip 9 points 6 days ago

In Spain we use bizum and it is becoming a really fast standard, I have even seen it for online commerce

[–] Pip@feddit.org 8 points 6 days ago

Good that the article points out that the US and Chinese providers are already fighting the European alternatives. By occupying other layers of the stack, rendering European digital payment sovereignty impossible. High time to accelerate this!

[–] fierysparrow89@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

Break-up? If only... I hate these stupid exaggerated clickbaity titles.

It's hardly more than a realization of their toxic relationship. But that is indeed the 1st step of change.

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