Cash remains hugely relevant worldwide
While the number of digital transactions rises, the value of banknotes in circulation – even in areas like the eurozone – has been rising. This points to a phenomenon that industry watchers have been noting for a while, namely that cash remains attractive, and is indeed being stockpiled by many people.
Among other reasons, cash is very much a universal payment method, understood and accepted across widely diverse demographics. Even the nominally illiterate can use cash, while its inclusive nature remains attractive to those the digital developments in payment may be leaving behind, for example the elderly and the underbanked.
Further, cash is useful as a store of value, and is seen as a safety net in the case of a digital meltdown (as happened with the Iberian Peninsula blackout of 2025). Further, a well-designed banknote serves as a calling card of an entire nation, a physical reminder of those things you’re most proud of. Also, let’s not forget that it is easy to gift cash – as a tip, for instance, or as a greeting to a loved one. Nothing quite signals appreciation like a crisp banknote – or two – in your hand!
For these reasons, and many others besides, we can expect cash to remain a part of a household’s financial requirements and planning for years to come. Stakeholders in the cash cycle should be planning accordingly.
