Mandatory cash acceptance not always backed by other policies
Benchmarking data suggests possible mismatch between demands on banks and merchants
Around half of jurisdictions mandate cash acceptance at retailers but a smaller share require minimum standards of cash services at banks, data from the Currency Benchmarks 2026 shows.
Among the 41 respondents, 48.6% mandate cash acceptance by retailers, while 25.6% set minimum levels of cash services that must be provided by banks. A further 31.7% operate under an access-to-cash policy that seeks to promote convenient methods of obtaining cash for anyone who wants to use it as a payment method
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