Cash is the first step of financial inclusion

The digitalisation of money negatively impacts social cohesion and financial inclusion. With digitalisation, the monetary system becomes more a private good than a public one – and one that risks leaving the most vulnerable behind.

The Department of Finance Retail Banking Review highlights the increasing pressure on the cash infrastructure due to closing of bank branches and ATMs. It recommends a legislative framework to ensure reasonable access to cash.

Afghanistan has faced a severe liquidity crisis and financial collapse since the return of the Taliban in August 2021, aggravated by a shortage of banknotes. New banknotes are due to arrive from overseas.

Cash is king in Latin America, and many incumbents and startups have launched CashTech solutions in the region.

In this eight episode, James Shepherd-Barron talks to Brett Scott about his latest book 'Cloud Money'. In a wide-ranging discussion, they take a deeper look at the political economy of cash and the ideology driving the erosion of cash-based systems.

The remittance market is growing rapidly, and cash is a popular way of sending funds. ATMs play a critical role by providing senders and beneficiaries convenient access to cash.

In this seventh episode, James Shepherd-Barron sits down with Luis Oro, Director of Innovation at Prosegur Cash, to discuss cash, how it moves around in less developed countries and its role in society.

In this sixth episode of the Cash and Crises podcast series, James Shepherd-Barron sits down with Thomas Byrnes, founder and CEO of Market Impact, a consultancy, to discuss debit cards and how they are used in humanitarian action.

Cash in circulation is growing in Tanzania, alongside significant progress in terms of financial inclusion and the development of mobile money.

Cash remains dominant in Mexico after the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the government’s promotion of digital payments and a boom in fintech solutions, per the latest national survey on financial inclusion.

Cash payments in the United States grew in 2021, following a sharp decline in 2020, according to the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice.

The Queen's Speech, delivered on 10 May 2022, promises legal protection for access to physical cash. But scratch beneath the surface and the promise contains the seeds of the continuing destruction of physical cash.