De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), through its chairing role in the National Forum on the Payment System (NFPS), has published resilience advice urging consumers and retailers to prepare for emergency situations in which electronic payments are unavailable for 72 hours, such as failures of payment terminals, ATMs, or online banking. For households, the NFPS recommends holding around EUR 70 per person (EUR 30 per child) in cash and maintaining multiple ways to pay. The suggested amounts, based on National Institute for Family Finance Information (Nibud) calculations, are intended to cover minimum necessities for three days, including water, food, medicine, and transport, and are best held as a mix of euro banknotes and coins. The guidance also points to practical contingencies, including having a working banking app for transfers and online payment requests, and keeping a debit card available for those who mainly pay by phone or smartwatch. For retailers and other point-of-sale businesses, the NFPS recommends fallback options such as QR-code-based payment request apps, considering an additional telecom connection from a different provider, and holding enough cash change to operate through a three-day outage. The NFPS advice is intended to be incorporated into the Dutch government’s broader “Think Ahead” preparedness guidance for multi-day disruptions across society.
De Nederlandsche Bank 2025-05-20
De Nederlandsche Bank-led NFPS advises consumers to keep EUR 70 per adult in cash for a 72-hour electronic payments disruption
De Nederlandsche Bank, through the National Forum on the Payment System, advises consumers and retailers to prepare for 72-hour electronic payment outages. Recommendations include holding EUR 70 per person in cash, maintaining multiple payment methods, and ensuring retailers have fallback options like QR-code payment apps and sufficient cash change. This advice aligns with the Dutch government's "Think Ahead" preparedness guidance.