Mental Ernie. It's not completely exact, but you could say that eP (ePassporte indeed) is like a Visa on which you can also put money. You can find more info here:
https://www.epassporte.com/
Tou can use it with and without a physical electronic card. You can buy stuff with it on many places (not everywhere) on the internet and in shops that accept Visa. When you have an physical card you can also withdraw money at many ATM's. Just like with a Visa card.
If my memory is good then the yearly fee for an electronic card is 35$. And when you withdraw money then you pay 2.5$ per transaction (and I think per 250 euro, but I'm not sure about this).
Anywat, eP is cheaper then a bank. And there are already many sponsors who also can pay you via eP. I think eP is the best solution in many countries in Europe. To give an example. This afternoon I will take a few checks for a total sum of 1,000$ to the bank. Well, I will get around 500 euro for it. But I will inform at Fortis. This could be a non neglectible difference.
I hope the elections in the US change something positive on the exchange rate of the $
