# Germany — payment codes and schemes

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/DE
> extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

## Summary

- **Girocode** is the German implementation of EPC QR standard, widely adopted
- **Giropay discontinued** December 31, 2024; replaced by **Wero** (EPI)
- Over **1,300 financial institutions** offer SEPA Instant payments (highest in Europe)
- Unique three-pillar banking system: Private banks, Sparkassen, Cooperative banks
- Germany processes ~30% of all euro payments; critical for SEPA success

## Banking landscape

### Central Bank
- **Name:** Deutsche Bundesbank
- **Website:** https://www.bundesbank.de/
- **Role:** Part of Eurosystem, TIPS development partner

### Major Banks (2024)

| Rank | Bank Name | Total Assets (EUR) | Type |
|------|-----------|-------------------|------|
| 1 | Deutsche Bank | ~1,300,000 M | Private commercial |
| 2 | KfW Group | ~550,000 M | State development bank |
| 3 | DZ Bank | ~619,000 M | Cooperative central |
| 4 | Commerzbank | ~460,000 M | Private commercial |
| 5 | LBBW | ~333,000 M | Landesbank |
| 6 | BayernLB | ~250,000 M | Landesbank |
| 7 | Helaba | ~200,000 M | Landesbank |

### Three-Pillar Banking System
Germany has a unique structure:

| Pillar | Description | Examples |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| **Private Banks** | Commercial banks | Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank |
| **Public Savings Banks** | Sparkassen + Landesbanken | ~370 Sparkassen, 6 Landesbanken |
| **Cooperative Banks** | Volksbanken/Raiffeisenbanken | ~700 cooperatives + DZ Bank |

### Key Organizations
- **Die Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft (DK):** German Banking Industry Committee
- **Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe:** Savings banks association
- **BVR:** National Association of Cooperative Banks

---

## Payment infrastructure

### National Payment Systems

| System | Operator | Type | Status |
|--------|----------|------|--------|
| TIPS | ECB/Bundesbank | Instant payments | Active |
| Girocard | DK | Debit card network | Active |
| Giropay | Banks | Online banking | **Discontinued Dec 2024** |
| Wero | EPI | Pan-European | Active (July 2024) |

### SEPA Instant Payments
- **Institutions:** >1,300 offering SCT Inst (highest in Europe)
- **Adoption Rate:** ~2.5% of total volume (2022), growing
- **Max Amount:** €100,000
- **Speed:** <10 seconds
- **Availability:** 24/7/365

### Giropay Discontinuation
- **End Date:** December 31, 2024
- **Reason:** Shift to unified European payments (EPI/Wero)
- **Replacement:** Wero

### Wero Launch in Germany
- **Launch Date:** July 2, 2024
- **Initial Scope:** P2P payments
- **Online Commerce:** From summer 2025
- **NFC POS:** Expected 2026
- **Features:** Instant SEPA transfers, Verification of Payee

### Girocard (Debit Network)
- Dominant domestic debit card network
- Used in physical retail
- Linked to bank accounts

---

## QR code standards

### Girocode (Primary Standard)

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Standard Name** | Girocode (German name for EPC QR) |
| **Barcode Type** | QR Code |
| **Operator** | Die Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft |
| **Standard** | EPC 069-12 |
| **Use Case** | Invoices, bill payments |
| **Adoption** | All major banks |

#### Technical Specifications (BCD Format)

| Line | Field | Max Length | Required |
|------|-------|------------|----------|
| 1 | Service Tag | 3 | Yes ("BCD") |
| 2 | Version | 3 | Yes (001/002) |
| 3 | Character Encoding | 1 | Yes (1-8) |
| 4 | Identification | 3 | Yes ("SCT") |
| 5 | BIC | 11 | Conditional* |
| 6 | Recipient Name | 70 | Yes |
| 7 | IBAN | 34 | Yes |
| 8 | Amount | 12 | Optional |
| 9 | Purpose Code | 4 | Optional |
| 10 | Reference | 35 | Optional |
| 11 | Remittance Text | 140 | Optional |
| 12 | Information | 70 | Optional |

*BIC required in version 001; optional in EEA for version 002

#### Sample Girocode Content
```
BCD
002
1
SCT
DEUTDEDB
Max Mustermann GmbH
DE89370400440532013000
EUR150.00
RINV

Rechnung Nr. 12345
```

### Photo Payment / Smart Transfer

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| Type | Invoice scanning |
| Use Case | Paper invoices, PDFs |
| Banks | Deutsche Bank, Sparkassen, others |
| Formats | Photo, PDF, QR code |

---

## Mobile payment apps

| App Name | Bank/Group | Girocode Scan | Photo Pay | Downloads |
|----------|------------|---------------|-----------|-----------|
| Sparkasse | Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe | Yes | Yes | 9.0M+ |
| Deutsche Bank | Deutsche Bank | Yes | Yes | High |
| Commerzbank | Commerzbank | Yes | Yes | High |
| VR Banking | Volksbanken/Raiffeisenbanken | Yes | Yes | High |
| Pay (VR) | Cooperative banks | Yes | Yes | Growing |
| ING | ING Germany | Yes | Yes | High |
| N26 | N26 | Yes | Limited | High |

### Sparkasse App Features
- Most downloaded banking app in Germany
- Girocode scanning
- Photo payment
- chipTAN QR support
- S-pushTAN integration

### Deutsche Bank App Features
- Smart Transfer with camera
- QR code scanning
- Photo invoice capture (PDF, JPG, PNG, GIF)
- Real-time transfers

---

## Third-party payment apps

| App Name | Type | QR Support | Status |
|----------|------|------------|--------|
| Wero | P2P/Commerce | Yes | Active (July 2024) |
| PayPal | Online | Limited | Active |
| Apple Pay | NFC Wallet | No | Active |
| Google Pay | NFC Wallet | No | Active |
| Klarna | BNPL | No | Active |

### Wero Features
- Launched July 2024 in Germany
- P2P instant payments
- QR code payments (planned 2025)
- Online commerce (summer 2025)
- NFC POS payments (2026)
- Replaces Giropay

---

## Schemes

| Scheme | Type | Symbology | Adoption | Technical standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Girocode](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/DE/girocode) | Payment QR | QR Code | All banks | [`girocode`](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/girocode) |
| [chipTAN QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/DE/chiptan-qr) | Auth QR | QR Code | Sparkassen | — |
| [Wero QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/DE/wero-qr) | Payment QR | QR Code | Growing | [`wero`](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/wero) |

## Sources

- [Wikipedia - EPC QR Code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPC_QR_code)
- [Easybill - EPC QR Code/Girocode](https://www.easybill.de/en/blog/epc-qr-codegirocode-for-faster-liquidity)
- [Wikipedia - Wero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wero_(payment))
- [Antom - What Happened to Giropay](https://knowledge.antom.com/what-happened-to-giropay-everything-merchants-need-to-know)
- [Fiskil - Top German Banks 2024](https://blog.fiskil.com/top-german-banks-2024-asset-size)
- [Gini - Deutsche Bank Photo Payment](https://gini.net/en/products/payment/photopayment/deutsche-bank-mobile-app/)
- [Enable Banking - Germany Open Banking](https://enablebanking.com/docs/markets/de/)
- [Icon Solutions - Germany SEPA Instant](https://iconsolutions.com/blog/race-sepa-instant-payments-rt1/)
- [European Payments Council - EPC QR Guidelines](https://www.europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/document-library/guidance-documents/quick-response-code-guidelines-enable-data-capture-initiation)
- [ECB - Instant Payments Regulation](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/paym/integration/retail/instant_payments/html/instant_payments_regulation.en.html)
- [GoCardless - Kundenreferenz bei Überweisungen](https://gocardless.com/de/handbuch/artikel/kundenreferenz-bei-ueberweisungen)
- [Commerzbank - Der SEPA Countdown läuft (SEPA brochure)](https://www.commerzbank.de/portal/media/a-30-sonstige-medien/pdf/beratung-1/broeschuere/broschuere_sepa.pdf)
- [European Payments Council - EPC069-12 v3.0 QR Code Guidelines (PDF, 2022)](https://europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/sites/default/files/kb/file/2022-09/EPC069-12%20v3.0%20Quick%20Response%20Code%20-%20Guidelines%20to%20Enable%20the%20Data%20Capture%20for%20the%20Initiation%20of%20an%20SCT_0.pdf)

## Full country report

[DE-germany.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/DE)