Financial inclusion

In Poland, nearly half of all card transactions involve cash withdrawals and cashback operations. During the pandemic, the Polish central bank has defended the consumers’ right to use cash in retail payments.

In this fifth episode of the Cash and Crises podcast series, James Shepherd-Barron, sits down with Antti Heinonen, chairman of the Banknote Ethics Initiative and long-time central banker in Finland, to discuss the role central banks play in societies in crisis, including issues such as liquidity management, business continuity and coordination.

The Cash and Crises podcast series is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Listen to all episodes at your convenience now!

Cash remains the most widely used payment instrument in Ukraine. The country's central bank has promoted cashless payments during the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion, despite their vulnerabilities in times of crisis.

In the fourth episode of the Cash and Crises podcast series, James Shepherd-Barron sits down with Alan Boaden, former Head of Currency at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, to discuss the resilience of cash in times of crisis and what central banks can do to support disaster response and recovery efforts.

The role cash plays in society is viewed very differently in a Lebanese refugee camp than in a London coffee-shop. Despite the inroads made by a policy of digital ‘financial inclusion’, at least half the world’s adult population have little option but to rely on cash for their survival in times of crisis.

In the third episode of the Cash and Crises podcast series, James Shepherd-Barron sits down with Tristan Dissaux, Researcher at Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, to discuss the meaning of financial inclusion and its importance in society.

In Kenya, currency in circulation increased by 30% during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, in spite of efforts to promote digital payments.

In the second episode of the Cash and Crises podcast series, James Shepherd-Barron sits down with Diederik Bruggink, Head of Innovation and Payments at the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute, to discuss why the cash cycle matters and its implications for developing economies.

Cash in circulation grew 20% in Egypt during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the World Bank, three-quarters of Egyptians have not made a single digital payment.

Glitches marred the adoption of bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador, causing anger and anxiety to customers and retailers.

El Salvador has become the first country to make bitcoin legal tender, hoping to increase financial inclusion. Critics fear it will become a vigilance tool for the government.