Constantly Cash: Payments Association ALV in focus on cash

22 May 2024

Cash payments

Cash seemed to be on its way to oblivion but nothing could be further from the truth. That is why the informal programme of the General Members’ Meeting of Payments Association Netherlands on 16 May was dedicated to cash.

Gijs Boudewijn opent het minicongres ‘Constant Contant’ van Betaalvereniging Nederland; hij staat voor een groot projectiescherm met de titel van de bijeenkomst terwijl het publiek in de zaal op hem gericht zit.

Inge van Dijk, divisional director for Payments, Cash & Market Infrastructure at DNB, addressed the members on the role and importance of a good cash supply in our society. In addition to her plea for good availability and acceptance of cash, she called on the industry to speed up the introduction of digital fallback options in case of POS failures at the counter.

Policy advisor Michel van Bommel of the Payments Association took the audience through the content and progress of the new Dutch and European cash bills. That legislation imposes obligations for a nationwide network of ATMs, free access to those ATMs for bank customers, sufficient availability of cash transports and mandatory free acceptance of cash at the counter.

Renate de Vree, head of Products and Standards at the Payments Association, presented the initial results of a survey of point-of-sale establishments on the costs of a possible cash acceptance obligation. Those costs will eventually be surveyed at 11 different types of point-of-sale establishments. At municipalities, in the retail sector and for public transport, the survey is now nearing completion.

The animated meeting ended with a panel discussion between CEO Peggy Corstens of Geldmaat, director Eus Peters of the Dutch Retail Trade Council and managing director Bas Rodenberg of cash carrier Brink’s. Discussion leader Gijs Boudewijn, director of the Payments Association, questioned the panellists on the challenges of the emerging cash acceptance obligation. The panel concluded that we should strive for innovative, secure and affordable opossessions.

Want to know more about developments around cash and for other collective payment methods? Then sign up for our future information sessions, sometimes also for non-members.