How quickly a month passes. For the first Sunday in February, I have chosen the topic of online payment—an area in which Europe has long relied too heavily on American solutions, but which is finally showing signs of change.

Take a look at the Wechselrezept page From PayPal to Wero: There you can see how a European alternative menu is emerging. One of the most important ingredients is Wero, intended as the European answer to PayPal – and as a building block for greater digital sovereignty.

Wero was already available for my Ethikbank account in 2025. This shows that European solutions can work if banks have the courage to break new ground. This makes me all the more interested in when large institutions such as Commerzbank will follow suit (unfortunately, they are not yet on board). 2026 would be a good year for this. The demand is there, awareness is growing – now it’s time to take the next step.

The potential is also obvious in online shopping. Although PayPal currently still dominates many European shops, this does not have to remain a permanent situation. Retailers and payment service providers are beginning to realize that dependence on American platforms is not without alternatives – neither economically nor in terms of data protection. European solutions can offer trust, transparency, and fairer conditions here. Digital independence does not happen overnight. It grows step by step: through banks integrating European services, through retailers offering alternatives, and through users making conscious decisions. Wero is an example of how Europe can not only regulate, but also shape the future itself.

2026 could be the year in which European online payments make the leap out of their niche. The foundations have been laid—now it’s time to develop them consistently.

You can see my current digital independence status on the #did page.

Best regards Lars