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Santander and Prosegur Cash launch an in-store digital cash management solution in Spain that pays cash directly into bank accounts and saves companies time with cash management.

In Mexico, cashless payments' advocates have seized on the Covid-19 pandemic to nudge consumers away from cash. But they conveniently forget the exceptional levels of financial exclusion in the country.

Bank hubs jointly operated by the 5 leading banks and the Post Office are the latest U.K. initiative to ensure access to cash services for individuals and businesses in a viable way. Eight pilots are currently being trialled across the U.K.

In 2020, many headlines were predicting the end of cash, amidst a sharp decline in cash transactions. A year later, many recognise that cash plays an essential social and economic role and is an anchor to the monetary and financial system.

Cash in circulation grew 30.33% in Mexico during the Covid-19 pandemic, driven by large-denomination banknotes. ATM transactions declined in volume but rose an impressive 15.9% in value. Mexico’s cash infrastructure has expanded despite the pandemic.

The Euro Retail Payments Board, which is chaired by the ECB, has set up a working group to tackle access to and acceptance of cash, amidst growing concerns that cash services could become difficult as the network of access points diminishes.

A new ATMIA position paper calls for Universal Cash Deposit, an interoperable solution whereby a customer from one bank may deposit cash at ATMs owned and operated by other banks or ATM deployers.

Irish NGO Goal analyses ‘multi-purpose cash and voucher assistance’ and concludes that cash is more flexible, more resilient, and more cost-effective than other forms of financial support.

Deutsche Bank Research forecasts that not only will cash be around for a long time but the digitalisation of payments has the potential to rebalance global economic power.

In Singapore, currency in circulation has grown by 9.5%, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Food merchants prefer cash, despite the official endorsement of digital payments. Several CashTech solutions accommodate Singaporeans’ preference for cash.

The ATM networks of Bangladesh and India have expanded during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Bangladesh, ATM transactions increased in 2020; in India, currency holdings in the public’s hands grew 17.4% during the pandemic.

Millions of dollars in aid to Lebanon are being lost in currency exchange as inflation soars out of control, but internal UN documents and interviews with officials suggest that fixing the problem faces political and logistical hurdles, and could even spark violence.