Europe

Loomis acquires Cobelguard in Belgium.

Contactless might be user-friendly and a great time-saver, but British consumers are starting to see their money disappear into thin air: not very helpful when 4 in 10 adults own less than 500£ in savings.

ESTA agrees with the EPC that the cost of cash can and should be reduced but reducing the volume of cash in circulation is not the answer.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) concludes that cash has a number of advantages which cannot be matched by any electronic payment method, at least for the time being. Those features explain in large part why cash is still widely used by consumers. They also underline why the idea of a cashless society should be buried.

The Governor of French Central Bank warned against the risks associated with payments innovation.

Six months after the ECB decision to stop issuing €500 notes, how has demand for the euro and for the €500 evolved ?

Idea bank of Poland expanded its fleet of cars fitted with ATMs from 4 to 18. The electric BMW i3s with cash-in, cash-out ATMs, can be ordered by smartphone. The service is particularly aimed at enterpreneurs and business owners who normally use cash deposit services, often after dark.

Coins play an important role in donations to charities.

Deutsche Bank Research shows that abolishing cash would not eliminate crime.

The acquisition of Visa Europe by Visa Inc. could increase the cost of accepting cards for small merchants.

Worldwide, over two billion people are unbanked. In Europe, 139 million people are financially excluded and rely on cash for their daily purchases.

Voters in the French primary were required to pay €2 in cash. La Poste earned a commission of €750,000 to process the coins.