Post B3DX7DkhoHfrggAzTs by whynothugo@fosstodon.org
 (DIR) More posts by whynothugo@fosstodon.org
 (DIR) Post #B3DVbNNqMkQuKyja6a by whynothugo@fosstodon.org
       2026-02-10T23:38:57Z
       
       1 likes, 1 repeats
       
       So Dutch banks want to stop relying on American corporations like Visa and Mastercard, and are launching "Wero" a new online payment mechanism which is only usable via an "app" for iOS or Android, and not usable on the web or regular computers.Do I really need to point out that Google and Apple have the exact same risks as Visa and Mastercard? I can't believe this isn't obvious to everyone else, sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy.
       
 (DIR) Post #B3DWJLsFL8UgOfvLxQ by lanodan@queer.hacktivis.me
       2026-02-11T16:22:35.171384Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @whynothugo Worst is like Wero isn't even just Dutch banks, it's european… but well I guess they already got trapped into that dependency with the online payment requirements where more and more of them end up requiring a bank app.One thing I hope is getting an inter-card payment network that's EU-wide (A bit like how France got https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CB_Bank_Card_Group ), instead of mucking around with smartphones.
       
 (DIR) Post #B3DX7AmMreDmSxvm9g by witcher@digitalcourage.social
       2026-02-11T05:29:19Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @whynothugo I'm with you on this. It's great something like Wero is in the works to replace the dependency on US services in the payment area, but there's so much missed potential here: No phone number required, payments without Android/iOS.It essentially consists of sending money and approving transactions through your bank. Both could have been done with the same effectiveness if usernames were used instead of phone numbers, and banks allowed approving transactions through other means than mobile apps. The way it is now completely unnecessarily fully binds the service to a smartphone running Android or iOS.But I guess it is a slight improvement over Visa/MasterCard and PayPal as transactions go through european banks and fees aren't paid out to US companies.
       
 (DIR) Post #B3DX7BxkSov28YGNX6 by whynothugo@fosstodon.org
       2026-02-11T09:41:39Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @witcher To be clear: this isn't _replacing_ US services in the payment area, it's just changing which ones we rely on. From Visa+Mastercard to iOS+Android.I don't find this to be an improvement. Someone can use Maestro card (the usual in NL) without having to buy a device from Google/Apple. This just serves to erode  the influence of phone vendors done outside the US.
       
 (DIR) Post #B3DX7CzucGFBLYHcXo by witcher@digitalcourage.social
       2026-02-11T10:29:16Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @whynothugo I won't pretend I know much about how Wero works, but I am aware that is based on european bank transfer stuff. I wanted to write something about it, but I barely know anything about the underlying technology and infrastructure.I tried it once and was extremely underwhelmed. It's just another app that puts arbitrary restrictions on what operating system it is running on, uses a phone number for identification, and shows a QR code for payments. Wero isn't as revolutionary or independent as they themselves and people generally make it out to be, it's more like a 2026 UI on european bank transfers.What I do care about is making the distinction that the payment cards and services aren't US based anymore but rather based in the EU, which is what I meant previously.FWIW I've seen people talk about using it without a smartphone in the future, but I'm guessing that's just wishful thinking and not something Wero has communicated as planned. I'd rather an app wasn't necessary in the first place.
       
 (DIR) Post #B3DX7DkhoHfrggAzTs by whynothugo@fosstodon.org
       2026-02-11T16:16:20Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @witcher For online payments, the current Dutch standard (iDEAL) supports paying online without Visa/Mastercard as intermediary, so Wero seems like a strong step down.And using a phone number as an account identifier is so absurd. As if phone number didn't expire or get re-used. We already have IBAN numbers which might be longer, but everybody copy-pastes them anyway.So far they communicate that an app will be necessary and the only choice.