If we look closer to European countries in terms of the top advancement in the improvement of electronic payments – Sweden is the first country to come to head as a pioneer in this area. Between 2000 and 2020 there was a fast change in the payment system. Thanks to advanced public confidence, financial institutions, together with the main bank, placed under force from the fast improvement and popularisation of electronic payments and in fear of a fall in the profitability of cash operations, have contributed to the mass displacement of cash from the everyday life of Swedish citizens. By Sveriges Riksbank report – the central bank of Sweden – by 2023 the number of transactions in retail stores made in cash fell to 10% from 40% in 2010. Credit cards, debit cards and electronic payments so dominated almost entirely the sphere of finance, pushing cash from the most popular means of payment occupied by it.
The mass closures of the largest banks' cash branches, the withdrawal of ATMs in smaller towns due to the deficiency of cost-effectiveness for their operators, and even the refusal to accept cash in any institutions (a unfortunately legal solution in Sweden) are among the many consequences of the "digital revolution" that average citizens felt. Many people liked the changes.
Non-cash payment has a number of advantages specified as convenience and practicality.
Thanks to the “Swish” payment strategy introduced in 2012, people no longer gotta remember to take their wallets from home. Card or telephone payments have already grown profoundly into the regular life of Swedes through their popularity.
Recently, however, the issue of the function of cash in the stableness of the state has come back to light.
Discussions were started on the defence of cash and on the provision of greater guarantees related to its use.
Back to cash. But why now? What does the citizens say?
The question so should be asked, why is the issue of cash returning to the public debate? What prompted the Swedish government to take an interest in the subject of cash? What solutions have been proposed to save conventional money, and what lessons can be learned from the Swedish revolutions and changes?
There are many reasons for the return of the issue of cash defence in Sweden. The push of cash into the next circular proved to be an unwitting decision by the government, and its consequences forced deep reflection on the function of money in the lives of citizens and the functioning of the state.
Despite their universality, non-cash means besides have their disadvantages. Card payments, which are recorded in banks, supply many grounds for questioning the appropriate privacy of users.
Banks can already know everything about us by registering any non-cash transaction.
These solutions are besides mainly based on electricity, which gives emergence to a number of concerns about the paralysis of payments in the event of energy supply interruptions or crises of all kinds, specified as armed conflicts, cyber attacks or the consequences of natural disasters – in short, all events that could disrupt the operation of digital infrastructure. Cash gives you assurance in specified situations that people will be able to store without worrying about net connection or deficiency of electricity.
Hard and without anesthesia
– this is how we have been operating since 2020. Journalism that is not indifferent. The civilian Affairs Weekly announces abuse, educates and gives tools for a real, civic change.
Give 1.5% and be our contributor
The question of the return of conventional money can be answered, among another things, in today's geopolitical situation.
There are a number of questions about the stableness of digital payments in this era of various armed conflicts that are occurring worldwide today.
In the event of a deficiency of energy supply or a deliberate attack on non-cash payment systems institutions, these solutions become completely useless in practice. Payment cards then turn into meaningless pieces of plastic and account balance into strings of digits. Many experts point out that cash is the only unchangeable means of payment that in the event of crises and cyber attacks will be able to proceed to function decently for apparent reasons.
Nor should we forget the elderly, for whom very frequently the anticipation of cash payment is equal to endurance and satisfaction of basic needs. The State should take care of the needs of its citizens and warrant their survival, regardless of their bank accounts and telephone banking. Cash is so the only warrant in this light for equal access to the usage of different types of services by all citizen, regardless of their technological skills and their usage of digital solutions.
Swedish citizens on cash and strengthening its function stay divided. On the 1 hand, a large part of them usage digital payments and despite the disadvantages of this solution do not see the request to fight for conventional money. On the another hand, there is simply a crucial social group suffering from the negative effects of cash marginalisation and people who are aware of the consequences of minimising its role, for which this case is peculiarly close.
What does the Swedish government propose to citizens about cash?
On 18 December 2025, the Swedish Minister for the Financial Markets Niklas Wykman submitted to the Legislative Council a consultative act on ‘Acts for Cash Operation’. This was a reaction to a large decrease in the usage of cash in Sweden. This law has launched an authoritative government debate on how to "defend" cash, as well as whether the action proposed by the Minister is needed and will have real effects.
A key component of the proposals put forward by the Swedish Government is the introduction of the work to accept cash by stores selling essential goods specified as foodstuffs, medicines or public services. This solution will guarantee equal access to the essential articles for all citizens.
The precise draft bill, which would begin to apply from 1 July 2026, provides for the work to receive cash by larger traders between 06:00 and 8:00, but with a limit on the value of cash transactions. The seller would be legally obliged to accept cash up to 0,1 basis price, alleged prisbasbelopp – an amount indexed to inflation and calculated on the basis of changes in the price level in Sweden. For 1 transaction, it presently amounts to 5,920 Swedish kronor (in our currency, PLN 2,365.04). In addition, full online activities and cases where a cash payment would pose a safety risk, specified as the advanced vulnerability to theft due to the kind of activity of the company concerned, or the request to evidence transactions due to their amount or crucial operational difficulties, would be exempted, which unfortunately leaves a large deal of area for action by companies to which the act does not appeal. Businesses will be able to effort to bend the rules in their favour so as to avoid the request to honour cash, based on their decisions on the interests of client safety or difficulties in carrying out cash transactions.
Attention should besides be paid to extending the obligations of banks to handle cash, more specifically to guarantee that the client can carry out free operations utilizing cash across the country. The Ministry is attempting to halt the closure of bank cash branches and, in defence of citizens utilizing cash, introduce an work to make available the anticipation of depositing and withdrawal in more branches.
These changes, as well as the another actions proposed in the Act, despite their shortcomings, are a very good step towards strengthening the position of cash as a payment measurement equally recognised as electronic payments, as are the 2 alternatives that be side by side alternatively of hostile and exclusive solutions. The government following the consequence of the progressive digitalisation expressed its desire to reconstruct conventional money as a protected means of payment to which all citizen will have access. According to Riksbank, they are even essential to save cash from oblivion and strengthen its already mediocre infrastructure. The solutions presented are so a large hope of building a balance between cash and the dominant digital alternative.
What is the situation in practice?
Despite the approval of the public and the political community, the re-distribution of cash is confronted with a number of problems that may make this process much more difficult.
The most serious of these is the deficiency of adequate infrastructure. The earlier "digital revolution" has led to many facilities having to be readjusted to handle cash transactions, that is, train staff, prepare a place to store cash and put in place appropriate procedures.
For many tiny businesses, the work to operate cash will be a challenge.
Despite the willingness and request to strengthen cash, banks providing cash services are struggling with low request for services and hence advanced and not covered by operating costs. The popularity of digital payments has dominated everyday life to specified an degree that the handling of ATMs and cash transactions becomes simply unprofitable for banks in any cases.
The Act on Action for Cash Operation would enter into force on 1 July 2026. However, it has not yet been approved and passed by the Swedish Government. Time is moving out, and concrete steps should be taken as shortly as possible so that the companies covered by the government can adapt to the fresh realities of payment operation.
What's next on the cash shift?
Sweden is presently facing a kind of decision-making crossroads. The bigger players of the local financial and political scene – banks and ruling parties – are faced with 2 options: either moving further into crowding out the cash from the system, or awareness of the importance of the conventional form of payment and the implementation of fresh assumptions.
The proposed changes, although to any degree hard to implement, have a chance to redefine the Swedish government's approach to state financial policy.
Can Sweden effectively "defence" cash?
The answer to this question depends on whether the government can effectively implement its proposals and effectively improve citizens' access to cash services. Banks will besides play a major role. If, alternatively of looking for ways of circumventing the fresh rules, they decide to take the glove and meet the expectations of the government and citizens, the fresh assumptions will be implemented at a much faster pace.
Welcome to internships, internships and volunteering!
Join us!What can we learn from Sweden?
For another countries, Swedish experience can become an crucial case study: how to combine technological innovation with the request to guarantee resilience of financial and social justice systems. The debate on the function of cash in the digital age continues in the public space, and Sweden, as a pioneer country in terms of non-cash transformation, is one more time becoming an area of intense reflection on the future of conventional money.
The specified comparison of the situation of money in Sweden and Poland shows crucial differences between countries.
Although we are different from the Swedes with a degree of advancement in the issue of money digitization, we besides have akin problems in the substance of pushing cash into the background. In Sweden, the impulse to fight for the conventional form of payment is the utmost advancement of non-cash solutions and the resulting risks, while in Poland cash continues to play an crucial function in the regular lives of citizens, but the force on its marginalisation is expanding systematically.
From this perspective, Poland has a uncommon chance to learn from another people's mistakes. alternatively of reacting only at a time erstwhile the changes are hard to undo, it may in advance be inclined to reflect on whether it is better to keep the balance between tradition and modernity.
That is why campaigns that item the affirmative behaviour of the broad functioning of cash are so important, due to the fact that by expressing a position in the public forum they pay attention to the problem that Sweden must face now and Poland can avoid this. The Cash weapon Campaign the Institute of civilian Affairs is an perfect reflection of a fair fight for equal opportunities. While publicising the benefits of cash payment and the risks resulting from its outflow, it stresses the importance of real choice without eradicating digital payments.
The situation of Sweden teaches that, in matters as crucial as the method of payment, decisions should not be taken hastily and it is worth taking into account all aspects and needs of different social groups in advance.
Despite far-reaching payment technologies that undoubtedly facilitate any regular functioning, conventional cash continues to be a very crucial financial element, which proves reliable during crises and failures.
