European payment methods available worldwide in minutes, not months

European buyers, no incorporation required

Cross-border ecommerce is still surprisingly hard, even decades into the internet era. The obstacle isn’t technology alone—it’s fragmentation. Across the top 50 ecommerce markets, more than 75 payment methods are in regular use, from digital wallets to bank transfers to cash payments at convenience stores. Buyers frequently abandon checkout when their preferred method isn’t offered, yet adding those options traditionally demands far more than code: foreign entity registration, new bank accounts, local tax setup, and extensive compliance paperwork.

Stripe is now rolling out access to six European payment methods—Bancontact, EPS, giropay, iDEAL, Przelewy24, and Sofort—for businesses worldwide. Activation requires no foreign incorporation, no new banking relationships, and no manual setup steps. A retailer in Hong Kong or a subscription service in Mexico can begin accepting payments from European buyers, who account for roughly 20% of global ecommerce, within minutes.

One line of code, measurable results

The initial rollout has already produced concrete gains. In a pilot with a Hong Kong-based SaaS company, integrating iDEAL raised conversion from Dutch customers by nearly 50%—the only change was a single line of code in Stripe Checkout. Businesses have also cut transaction costs by as much as 1%, since several of these payment methods don’t support disputes, reducing chargebacks as a side benefit. Payouts are made in the merchant’s local currency, with unified reporting across all methods, while Stripe handles currency conversion, cross-border money movement, and local compliance.

Accepting local payment methods on Stripe has been a game-changer. Not only has it saved us time and money, but we’re getting much higher conversion with European customers.

Platforms get a default advantage

For platforms and marketplaces, the ability to offer these methods by default—without per-merchant verification or activation—is a competitive differentiator. BigCommerce is among the first to leverage this, expanding its international checkout options for merchants selling globally. The company notes that today’s international shoppers expect a range of payment choices regardless of location, and that flexibility is essential for closing sales.

To appeal to today’s international shopper, merchants need to offer a variety of payment methods at checkout to encourage a purchase regardless of the customer’s location. Working with Stripe, BigCommerce has added more payment methods to expand our international capabilities for merchants looking to sell globally.

Stripe says this is the first phase of a broader initiative, with more payment methods slated to become available worldwide over the next year. Merchants can check which methods are enabled for their account in the Stripe Dashboard, and documentation covers the implementation details for getting started.