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US sanctions force The Netherlands off Microsoft and toward alternative NixOS

388 points · 396 comments · mywacaday

guidoiaquinti · 1790685221 · focus · HN ↗
Several International Criminal Court (ICC) judges have been unable to access their bank accounts or receive routine salary payments and financial transfers due to financial blockages triggered by United States sanctions. In the country where they live
1. mhh__ · 1790688233 · focus · HN ↗
  Frankly I think this is a good bit of hormesis for European countries. It's critical that we have domestic payment infrastructure.
  1. busssard · 1790691265 · focus · HN ↗
    what would be an alternative currently? i know of services like twint but this is a local swiss solution. any more EU wide established solutions??
    foepys · 1790692512 · focus · HN ↗
    Wero [1] is build on the Dutch iDEAL system and is currently on an upwards trajectory with both banks and retail [2].
    1: <a href="https://wero-wallet.eu/" rel="nofollow">https://wero-wallet.eu/
    2: <a href="https://www.werotracker.eu/" rel="nofollow">https://www.werotracker.eu/
    petcat · 1790693232 · focus · HN ↗
    I've never seen Wero before. Is it similar to Zelle in the US?
    Edit: it looks like Wero requires Google/Apple device attestation [1]. So this is basically a non-starter in terms of "sovereignty" from the US government. Anybody on the wrong side of US sanctions still can't use this since they get their iOS/Google Android devices shut off too.
    [1] <a href="https://support.wero-wallet.eu/hc/en-us/articles/25599098295313-I-m-seeing-this-error-message-Your-device-does-not-meet-our-security-requirements" rel="nofollow">https://support.wero-wallet.eu/hc/en-us/articles/25599098295...
    toomuchtodo · 1790693273 · focus · HN ↗
    It gives the Zelle UX to the underlying SEPA Instant infrastructure across the EU. The EU is using Wero to migrate off of Visa and Mastercard. Parent's werotracker tracks not only banks supporting it, but merchants as well.
    Goodbye Visa and Mastercard: 130M Europeans switching to sovereign payment - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48207004">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48207004 - May 2026 (777 comments)
    Wero – Digital payment wallet, made in Europe - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47038965">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47038965 - February 2026 (132 comments)
    Europe's Banks Launch Wero Payments to Dislodge Visa, Mastercard - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41666833">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41666833 - September 2024 (88 comments)
    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wero" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wero
    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Euro_Payments_Area" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Euro_Payments_Area
    > Edit: it looks like Wero requires Google or Apple device attestation. So this is basically a non-starter in terms of "sovereignty" from the US government.
    You don't replace the entire stack at once, you replace it piece by piece. Each piece gets you closer to sovereignty. Payment infra, payment rails->tech infra and foundational systems next. If US Big Tech pulls the rug, that Jira ticket goes to the top of the stack. It will take time, but we're headed in the right direction for Europe to decouple from the US. You eat an elephant one bite at a time. Perfect does not exist, nor is there a quick fix, only reasonable efforts to continue to work over time towards success criteria.
    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OODA_loop" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OODA_loop
    Any revenue and capital that can be retained in the EU versus being sent to the US is capital that can be recycled into further decoupling and domestic EU investment, versus ending up as US shareholder profits and tax revenues.
    (think in systems)
    someonebaggy · 1790696001 · focus · HN ↗
    I've always used SEPA (even before it was instant) to buy event tickets. The flow is like this: you place your ticket order, then it tells you a bank account number, amount and reference code to send. I believe a newer system puts this in a QR code instead. The order remains open until payment is received and then emails you the tickets, or it times out usually after 14 days.
    Seems a little risky for the seller. The advantage of credit cards is that you can charge the card synchronously during the order flow. I haven't used Wero yet but I imagine it's more similar to the QR code process than the credit card process.
    Advantage of a push system is fraud is basically impossible, disadvantage is it takes so many steps. With a pull system you just scan or autocomplete your card and it's done.
    toomuchtodo · 1790696415 · focus · HN ↗
    Teething issues are likely unavoidable, but I assume they will end up like Pix eventually [1] (or close enough). It's simply the body of work between current state and target state. Tangentially, Europe is exploring integrating with Brazil's Pix instant payment system [2].
    [1] <a href="https://whatispix.com/" rel="nofollow">https://whatispix.com/
    [2] ECB to assess feasibility of interlinking with Brazil instant payment system Pix - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49846701">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49846701 - September 2026

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