Survey highlights strong public demand for payment choice, financial inclusion, and resilience as EU negotiations on Euro Cash enter a decisive stage

12 November, 2026 – A new independent survey commissioned by the International Security Ligue reveals overwhelming public support for maintaining cash acceptance and access across Germany and the European Union, alongside significant concerns about the consequences of declining cash acceptance in everyday life.

Conducted by independent polling institute Civey, with 5,000 respondents included in the representative sample, the survey shows that cash is valued not only as a payment option but also as an essential safeguard for financial inclusion, equal participation, and resilience during crises.

Key findings from the survey include:

• 92% want cash to remain accepted everywhere and accessible throughout Germany and the EU.
• 92% consider cash important for ensuring access to essential goods and services during power or internet outages.
• 88% fear that older people and people with disabilities could be excluded from everyday life if only digital payments were accepted.
• 82% believe that the government violates the principle of equal participation when public offices, government agencies, and public transportation no longer accept cash.
• 77% view the growing refusal of cash payments in everyday situations, including at government offices, on public transportation, and at parking facilities, negatively.

According to the International Security Ligue Cash Chapter, the findings demonstrate that, despite the continued growth of digital payments, citizens overwhelmingly support retaining the freedom to choose how they pay.

“The survey results send a clear message: An overwhelming majority wants cash to remain accepted and accessible,” said Tanja Kulisch-Ziemens, Secretary General of the International Security Ligue Cash Chapter. “Cash acceptance is not simply a matter of personal preference. It is essential to ensuring financial inclusion, resilience, and the freedom to choose how we pay.”

Findings demonstrate strong public expectations regarding cash acceptance and access.

The findings also highlight that public support for cash extends well beyond personal payment preferences. Respondents recognize its importance for social inclusion, equal access to essential services, and the ability to make payments when digital infrastructure is disrupted.

“Cash is more than just another payment method. It is an essential part of a resilient and inclusive payment system,” Kulisch-Ziemens continued. “When electricity fails, internet connections are disrupted, or digital systems become unavailable, cash provides an important alternative. And for people who cannot or do not wish to rely exclusively on digital payments, it remains indispensable.”

The survey comes as European policymakers enter a decisive stage in negotiations on the EU's Single Currency Package, particularly the proposed Legal Tender for Cash Regulation (LTCR), which aims to safeguard the acceptance and availability of euro cash.

While the survey does not address individual legislative provisions, its findings demonstrate strong public expectations regarding cash acceptance and access. They also raise important questions about proposals that would allow cash payments to be refused in an increasing number of everyday situations, including essential public services.

The International Security Ligue Cash Chapter believes that digital innovation and cash preservation must go hand in hand. An efficient, inclusive, and resilient payment ecosystem should ensure that technological progress expands consumer choice rather than restricts it.

Digital innovation and cash are not mutually exclusive. Both have an important role to play in a modern payment system. — Tanja Kulisch-Ziemens, Secretary General, Ligue Cash Chapter

“Digital innovation and cash are not mutually exclusive. Both have an important role to play in a modern payment system,” Kulisch-Ziemens emphasized. “The real question is whether citizens will continue to have genuine access to the payment methods they need and trust, including in situations where digital payments are not available.”

The findings contribute valuable evidence to the ongoing European debate about balancing innovation, efficiency, accessibility, consumer choice, and resilience.

“As policymakers shape the future of payments in Europe, they should take these public expectations seriously,” Kulisch-Ziemens concluded. “Innovation, efficiency, and digitalization are important. But they must not come at the expense of inclusion, resilience, or the freedom to choose how we pay.”