Cash is a public good

Visa and Mastercard are ramping up efforts to win over German consumers, leveraging global marketing muscle with locally resonant campaigns. Despite Germany’s traditionally cash-centric culture, both brands are pushing to shift perceptions and boost card usage through storytelling, sponsorships, and advertising.

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.

2024 marked a pivotal chapter in the evolving narrative of cash. From New Zealand’s innovative community cash trials to Germany’s National Cash Forum, efforts were made to enhance access and acceptance of cash. Research delved into its psychological and societal importance, while the Paris Olympics exposed the challenges of cashless society. This retrospective captures key moments that shaped the discourse on relevance of cash, reflecting its enduring role in fostering financial inclusion, economic stability, privacy and consumer choice.

Gisèle Pélicot, is a French woman who endured years of abuse at the hands of her ex-husband. While her ordeal primarily involved severe physical and psychological abuse, her story underscores the broader context of dependency and control that often includes financial abuse

Two policy shifts - mandated cash acceptance and regional bank branch levies - if adopted, could steer the cash ecosystem towards more sustainability.

A new paper analyzes the role of a well-functioning cash infrastructure for the stabilizing role of cash and the resilience of cash cycles. It highlights the critical role of the 4 A's - access, availability, acceptance, and affordability - as crucial building blocks of a robust cash infrastructure.

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.

CashEssentials will be hosting a seminar on the Future of Cash at the ATMIA Europe and Emerging Markets Conference in London on 10 October 2024. It will focus on understanding the changing cash environment and what stakeholders are doing to optimise the cash cycle and ensure the future viability and sustainability of cash.

A new opinion poll by Ifop for the Monnaie de Paris shows that cash remains the most trusted means of payment and that the level of attachment to cash is strengthening.

The media often overlooks the downsides of digital money services. A powerful narrative that exaggerates the benefits and conceals the downsides supports the growth of fintech in Africa.

While the use of cash has declined in Australia, many still rely on cash for payments, including seniors, lower-income households, migrants, and rural inhabitants.