Since the launch on Tuesday, over 34,000 people in Luxembourg have already downloaded the Wero wallet. Just a few individual cases had reported issues, said Wero and bank representatives at the official rollout event on Wednesday morning.
The marketing event was held in Kirchberg, offering a presentation and panel discussions moderated by Jim Kent. The overall message was that "Luxembourg is ready for Wero". Martina Weimert, head of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), which operates Wero, had a message to share at the end of the presentation: She considers it a concrete contribution to the digital sovereignty and independence of Europe.
Weimert and Wero declared themselves satisfied with the app's first day of operations in Luxembourg. Of more than 10,000 bank customers who switched to Wero, only some experienced problems, which Weimert attributed to the connection between LuxTrust and the banks. She called them "teething issues for a new solution."
Raiffeisen bank reported around a dozen calls from customers with problems or questions, of around 3,500 migrations to Wero. Claude Würth of the Spuerkeess bank said that Tuesday had been "tiptop" and ran better than expected. Bank staff were well equipped to support their customers. Throughout the month of September, businesses will be supported in switching to Wero as well.
One business which has adopted Wero from day one is DIY store Batiself. Claude Wagner, the director, said he had not heard of any issues with the new payment app. During the panel discussions, he replied to the moderator, saying he hoped that cash would be phased out within the next two years.
When later asked what solutions he could suggest if the network or the electricity failed, he smiled and admitted it might be good to have emergency cash on hand. Weimert in contrast said Wero was not designed to replace cash, but that it followed a "general trend in the market" as people increasingly prefer to make digital payments.
Wero has plans to expand beyond Germany, France, Belgium and Luxembourg: by the end of 2027, the app will launch in the Netherlands, with hopes to also reach southern and northern Europe. Wero will also offer additional functions such as contactless payments, one-click payments, and digital ID which can be incorporated in the digital wallet.
Ludovic Francesconi, responsible for the EPI's development and strategy arm, said that Wero has teams prepared to handle issues such as cyber attacks or fraud, and is ready to react to any risks.
Payconiq will officially cease to be available from 30 September 2026.
