Trend zum digitalen Bezahlen: EZB: Automatisierung darf Bargeld nicht verdrängen

According to a survey by the European Central Bank (EZB), 92 percent of all companies in the Eurozone accept cash payments. However, there is a growing trend towards cashless payment methods, which the bank sees positively. "To ensure broad acceptance of cash, it is vital to ensure that the increasing automation of the payment process does not inadvertently hinder or undermine cash as a practical payment option," the EZB warns.

Some businesses are investing in cashless payment systems, with one-quarter of the 8,205 companies surveyed from the 21 Eurozone countries citing the installation of self-service kiosks that accept electronic payments or reducing the number of cash registers accepting coins and banknotes. Nearly half (48 percent) of these businesses do not accept cash at any of their POS terminals.

The EZB cautions that this development could have unintended consequences: "Even if most companies continue to accept cash and communicate this, consumer perception of cash acceptance could decline as businesses limit the convenience of cash payments."

While most businesses that accept cash plan to do so in the next five years (92 percent), there is a significant portion in Cyprus (51 percent), Greece (23 percent), and Bulgaria (18 percent) that may stop accepting cash in the future. In Germany, where 904 companies participated in the survey, the figure is below 10 percent. The data was collected between February 23 and April 10, 2026.

The EZB calls on authorities to proactively address the issue to ensure that Euro banknotes and coins remain an attractive and accepted payment method in all countries and industries in the coming years. Despite the rise in card payments, acceptance remained largely stable compared to a 2024 EZB survey, with 88 percent accepting card payments and 68 percent now allowing mobile payments via smartphones or smartwatches.