The Central Bank of Latvia, working with critical financial service providers and merchants, has implemented offline card payments for essential goods when internet or mobile communications are disrupted. Individuals can make purchases totaling up to EUR 200 per card at participating food retailers, petrol stations and pharmacies, extending Latvia’s crisis payment resilience framework beyond access to cash and the critical ATM network. The service covers three grocery chains, four fuel retailers and three pharmacy chains. It is available only for cards issued by Swedbank, SEB banka, Citadele banka and Luminor Bank’s Latvian branch. Customers must insert a physical card into the terminal and enter the PIN. Smart device payments are not supported, and the service cannot operate if the merchant loses electricity.
2026-09-10Central Bank of Latvia
Central Bank of Latvia implements offline card payments up to EUR 200 for essential goods during communications outages
The Central Bank of Latvia has implemented offline card payments for essential goods during internet or mobile communications outages. Customers of four designated banks can spend up to EUR 200 per card at participating grocery, fuel and pharmacy chains by inserting a physical card and entering the PIN. The service does not support smart device payments and requires electricity at the merchant.