Shaping the Future of Cash in an Uncertain World

The Future of Cash conference in Istanbul, which took place 6-8 November, saw some big conversations about cash today and its future. The mood was more upbeat than in recent years as transactional demand for cash has largely rebounded from the lows of the pandemic and the access to cash agenda has gathered pace in countries facing the reality of less cash.

Opening seminar – Cash as a public good, a basic right

The opening seminar addressed whether cash was a public good or a basic right. Héctor Labat from CashEssentials opened with a literature review of the topic, and this was followed by presentations by Tim Stuchtey of the Brandenburg Institute for Society and Security (BIGS) and Frédéric Allemand from the University of Luxembourg, Carin van der Cruijsen from de Nederlandsche Bank, Franz Seitz from the Weiden Technical University of Applied Sciences and Ursula Dalinghaus from Ripon College. This interdisciplinary approach illustrated how some of the unique attributes of cash – resilience, inclusion, economic stability and public money – clearly contribute to public good.