Why the Netherlands Is Asking People to Keep Cash at Home Again
Jun 4, 2025
By Frane Maroevic, Director General, International Currency Association
In one of Europe’s most card-reliant countries, new government-backed advice is bringing cash back into focus.
This month, Nibud, the Dutch budget advisory agency, recommended that every adult keep at least €70 and every child €30 in cash at home. This amount is enough for basic groceries for three days in case of a major PIN system failure. That may sound old-fashioned, but it is an urgent response to a very modern problem: digital fragility.
The Netherlands leads Europe in card payments. Only one in five purchases is made with cash. However, that heavy reliance comes with risk. From power outages to cyberattacks, any disruption in the digital payments infrastructure could leave millions without access to essentials.
To prepare, authorities are encouraging households to keep not just any cash, but a mix of small notes and coins to ease transactions when change is scarce. By 2030, this amount is expected to rise with inflation to €80 per adult.
This is not fear-mongering. It is a sober reckoning with how vulnerable a fully digital society can become in moments of crisis. The Ministry of Finance, De Nederlandsche Bank, and the Dutch Banking Association are all behind the initiative, highlighting a rare alignment across public and financial institutions.
Cash remains essential, not just as a tool of convenience, but as a basic layer of resilience. For households, entrepreneurs, and vulnerable groups, it may be the difference between coping and chaos in a system failure.
The message is clear: digital might be efficient, but cash is dependable. In uncertain times, that dependability matters.
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