De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) Executive Board member Bas ter Weel used his opening address at DNB’s Retail Payments Research Conference 2026 to restate DNB’s Payment Strategy for 2026–2028 and its goal of a payment system that is resilient, secure and accessible. The strategy points to reducing reliance on non-European players in critical parts of the payment chain, developing European digital payment options that work across the euro area, and ensuring public money remains available and affordable in cash and, in the future, as a digital euro. Ter Weel highlighted resilience as requiring practical fallbacks such as cash when digital systems fail, arguing for caution in scaling down cash infrastructure and safeguarding a minimum level at least until suitable digital fallbacks exist. He referenced advice from the National Forum on the Payment System that households keep emergency cash of EUR 70 per adult and EUR 30 per child to cover essentials for up to three days during disruptions to digital retail payments. The speech also flagged vulnerabilities created by heavy dependence on a small number of global tech firms, and underscored a parallel focus on innovation, payment literacy and fraud prevention, including the challenge of rapidly evolving fraud tactics in an instant payments environment.
De Nederlandsche Bank 2026-04-09
De Nederlandsche Bank sets out 2026–2028 payments strategy priorities on cash resilience, European payment options and fraud prevention
De Nederlandsche Bank Executive Board member Bas ter Weel used the Retail Payments Research Conference 2026 to reiterate DNB’s 2026–2028 payment strategy, targeting a resilient, secure, accessible system with reduced reliance on non-European providers and continued access to public money in cash and potentially a digital euro. He stressed the need to maintain cash infrastructure as a fallback, citing advice that households hold emergency cash, and highlighted risks from dependence on a few global tech firms alongside priorities around innovation, payment literacy and fraud prevention.