Blog

The economic fallout of the pandemic is still in its very early stages, but the visible signs are spectacular: some industries have grinded to a complete halt; unemployment has risen massively; transaction volumes have dropped as consumers are increasingly in lockdown. So far, the impact on cash demand varies significantly from country to country.

As a growing part of the world shifts into lockdown, governments are identifying critical infrastructure industries that must continue operating to ensure public health and safety as well as national security.

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, several central banks have now made strong statements emphasizing the importance of cash in this crisis.

Te Pūtea Matua, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has engaged in a three-year Future of Cash programme aimed at scoping the dynamics of cash use and assessing whether there is a role to act in either preserving the cash system for future years or meeting the needs of cash users in other ways.

As the coronavirus pandemic, spreads, it is fundamentally changing our hierarchy of values. Our perception of the future of money is now facing a new paradigm.

In Sweden, new legislation was enacted on 1 January requiring banks to provide cash services. The UK Treasury has announced it would also introduce new regulations to protect access to cash.

Some media have been misreporting and scare-mongering around the handling of banknotes in light of the current coronavirus. This is contributing to further marginalise the many people who rely on cash for their daily purchases.

As the Coronavirus spreads across the globe, panic reactions are happening, including the targeting of cash which has been blamed by some media for spreading the virus. ATMIA speaks out against the scapegoating of cash.

Patriarchy is alive and kicking including on banknotes. Women are featured on a minority of banknotes around the world but the situation is improving.

The future of cash is of obvious and critical importance for all stakeholders in the cash cycle but how do we actually anticipate the future? What tools, processes and models do we use?

As we celebrate World Wildlife Day on 3 March, enjoy and journey through an expedition of banknotes across the world featuring beautifully varied wild plants and animals.

Brink’s announces the acquisition of G4S cash operations and invests in Moneygram. Loomis consolidates its position in the Nordics, with the acquisition of Finnish ATM network Automatia. Crane Co acquires Cummins Allison.