Cash ensures competition among payment instruments

A new study by the Deutsche Bundesbank reveals that cash and girocard remain the most cost-effective payment methods for German retailers. The study highlights how cash incurs lower per-transaction costs compared to card payments, though its cost as a percentage of turnover is higher. This comprehensive analysis underscores the enduring importance of cash in the retail sector, even as mobile and digital payments gain prominence.

Imagine a week without cards or apps—only cash. Would you spend less, think harder, or just get frustrated? A Guardian journalist did just that, revealing valuable insights about how cash shapes our spending, emotions, and financial health.

Visa and Mastercard have agreed to jointly pay $167.5m to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to keep ATM access fees artificially high. The settlement, highlights antitrust concerns and the urgent need for ATM interchange fee reform to sustain ATM networks.

Gresham’s Law states that “bad money drives out good,” meaning people store more valuable money and spend less valuable money when both circulate at the same face value. It helps explain why cash persists as a store of value even as the use of cash for payments declines.

Cash remains a resilient and essential part of Canada’s monetary and payments landscape. The Bank of Canada’s 2024 Methods-of-Payment (MOP) Survey reveals that while digital alternatives like mobile payments and contactless cards are on the rise, cash usage has remained stable since 2020.

Cash is making a comeback! Recent data shows a shift from decline to plateau in cash payments. Despite digital growth, cash remains essential in our payment systems.

A new Bundesbank paper delves into the true cost of payments and shows that while cash is cost-effective per transaction, debit cards are economical relative to transaction amounts and credit cards are the most expensive. Consumers value cash highly, requiring significant compensation to go cashless. Maintaining cash infrastructure is crucial for consumer choice and economic stability.

In a recent speech, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Michele Bullock highlighted the significant shift in consumer payment preferences, emphasizing the challenges to the cash infrastructure. The RBA is committed to ensure cash remains a viable means of payment for as long as Australians want or need to use cash.

The re-election of Donald Trump has strengthened the influence of BigTech, fostering closer ties between tech giants and the U.S. government. As tech companies expand into financial services and cryptocurrencies, concerns about privacy, financial censorship, and dependence on digital infrastructure grow. Cash remains a crucial counterbalance, offering privacy, economic freedom, and resilience during crises.

The European Central Bank (ECB) published in December its latest study on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area (SPACE). In terms of the number of payments, cash is the most widely used method with 52% of transactions, down from 59% in 2022.

The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing Visa of stifling competition and inflating merchant fees. The lawsuit emphasizes the importance of cash as a mainstream payment method to ensure competition, affordability, privacy, and resilience in the payments landscape.

As the number of ATMs has significantly decreased in recent years, SIX and Diebold Nixdorf are entering into a cooperation to secure the long-term cash supply through ATM pooling. However, the Swiss Post also aims to be the sole ATM operator.