Sweden's Riksbank submitted its consultation response to the Ministry of Finance’s Cash Inquiry, endorsing proposals to require cash acceptance for essential purchases and to strengthen statutory responsibilities on major banks to provide core cash services. The Riksbank frames the measures as necessary to preserve inclusion and maintain payment-system resilience if digital channels fail. The response supports introducing a cash acceptance obligation for providers of essential goods and for entities charging fees under public law, and backs extending and clarifying large banks’ duties to offer corporate customers services for overnight cash deposits and petty cash. It also supports a new requirement for banks to enable private individuals to deposit banknotes into accounts, noting the absence of any legal obligation for this service to date. On design, the Riksbank considers the Cash Inquiry’s proposed scope, exemptions and a cash-payment threshold of 0.1 price base amount (PBB) to be broadly balanced, and argues that staffed fuel stations selling liquid fuels should also be covered. For bank-provided services, it supports regulating reasonable pricing and requiring a contractual relationship between the regulated bank and any agent delivering cash services, and points to suggested minimum levels for cash withdrawals and deposits of 0.1 PBB per transaction and at least 0.5 PBB over a 30-day period. The Riksbank calls for the legislative changes on cash acceptance and bank responsibilities to be introduced as soon as possible. Separately, it favours addressing gaps in cash bill-payment and cash payout-voucher services through existing tools and funding rather than launching a new inquiry, and continues work with market participants on a voluntary framework for offline card payments, with the stated target that cards issued by the six largest banks to adults can be used offline to buy essential goods for up to seven days by 1 July 2026.

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