Switzerland's Federal Department of Finance and Swiss National Bank present principles on adequate access to cash at second cash roundtable

Switzerland's Federal Department of Finance, through the Federal Finance Administration (FFA), and the Swiss National Bank (SNB) convened the second roundtable on cash, presenting the “principles on adequate access to cash” and discussing initial ideas for an initiative to optimise the cash access network across the Swiss financial centre. The roundtable brought together stakeholders from across the cash cycle to assess changes in access to and acceptance of cash and their potential consequences. Participants reviewed developments in cash use, supply and distribution, and access. While public preference for cash remains high, cash payments at physical points of sale fell from over 70% in 2017 to 30% in 2024, alongside a reported decline in cash acceptance in sectors including retail, arts and entertainment, and public transport, and a reduction in ATMs, bank counters and post offices. The SNB-chaired expert group on access to cash, active since spring 2024, developed guiding principles intended to maintain access to cash and avoid uncoordinated reductions in cash infrastructure; SIX and Swiss Post have produced a concept study on shared use of cash access points, with the SNB providing expertise and coordinating communication. Cash acceptance in public transport was also discussed, with the sector expecting up to 90% of travellers to obtain tickets digitally over the longer term and exploring solutions for travellers without smartphones or credit cards. Follow-up work includes more frequent and comprehensive SNB surveys on cash developments, review by the expert group of alignment with the access principles, further consideration by SIX and Swiss Post of operational efficiency through pooled access points, and monitoring of European regulatory proposals for potential implications for cash supply, distribution and acceptance.