Are the events the past week part of the Problem, Reaction, Solution that is coming?
These could be trial balloons preparing the people for a fix.
The West needs a solution to the end of the Fiat currency.
What better way than to have an attack on the financial system where Banks and brokerages go dark. Poof! All your funds are gone. The public is up in arms.
In comes the Governments with the solution.
“We will make you whole but all accounts will be settled in CBDC or some other digital currency”. How nice of them! Of course they will be programable and you will continue to lose buying power with the goal of 2% per year (Fed goal). The only catch now is your funds are trapped within the system and this currency is not programmed to purchase hard assets that “they” do not want you to have. ie Gold, Silver….
“They” will appear as saviours to the great unwashed. This would be the ultimate control grid and will be expanded to UBI deposited as programmable currency in your accounts when you are considered a useless eater. Add in the requirement to take some sketchy vaccine or other medical intervention and viola, you may be culled prematurely.
Getting some of your funds outside the current financial system is your call.
This was prompted by my conversation this morning with a random captured fellow who had no clue as to what has gone on the 7 years if not longer. Not a clue!
“They” will cull these people based upon their blind trust.
The movie Idiocracy always comes to mind. It is a silly movie but coming true as time passes.
I THINK YOU HAVE IT BACKWARDS ….THE VULNERABILITY OF THE DIGITAL WORLD MAKES IT IMPERATIVE THERE BE CASH AND MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WILL TAKE CASH OUT OF THE SYSTEM.
IF EVERYTHING DIGITAL CAN BE HACKED THEN NO COUNTRY WOULD DARE IMPOSE MANDATORY DIGITAL CURRENCY ONLY
MANY COUNTRIES ALREADY HAVE THIS PASSED IN LEGESLATION AND EVEN IN THEIR CONSTITUTIONS AS I UNDERSTAND IT
WHICH COUNTRIES AND OR STATES HAVE LEGISLATED THAT CASH MUST ALWAYS EXIST REGARDLESS OF FUTURE CBDC AND DIGITAL CURRENCIES
Yes. A number of countries have moved specifically to protect cash as governments explore CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies) and increasing digital payments.
Countries with strong legal protections for cash
Norway
In 2024 Norway strengthened its cash laws.
Retailers generally must accept cash, and fines can apply for improper refusal.
The move was explicitly justified in part by resilience concerns in case digital systems fail.
Slovakia
Slovakia amended its constitution to protect the right to pay with cash.
The change was widely viewed as a safeguard against a future where cash could disappear entirely.
Hungary
Hungary went even further, making cash payment a constitutional right in 2025.
Banks are required to maintain broad ATM access and most businesses must accept cash.
France
France has long had strong legal-tender rules requiring acceptance of cash in most retail situations.
Denmark
Denmark requires most merchants to accept cash, although there are some exceptions.
Spain
Businesses generally must accept cash for transactions up to specified legal limits.
Countries legislating access rather than acceptance
United Kingdom
The UK has not mandated universal cash acceptance by all merchants.
However, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 and subsequent FCA rules require the protection of access to cash through ATMs, branches, and cash services. The goal is to ensure cash remains available for those who need it.
Ireland
Ireland’s Access to Cash legislation requires authorities and financial institutions to maintain cash infrastructure and avoid “cash deserts.”
Belgium
Belgium requires extensive ATM coverage, with most residents living within a short distance of a cash access point.
Sweden: the interesting reversal
Sweden was once considered the world’s most likely cashless society. Recently, however, policymakers reversed direction. The Riksbank and lawmakers have pushed measures to preserve cash availability and acceptance because of cybersecurity risks, power outages, and national-security concerns.
European Union !!
The EU is currently advancing legislation that would:
Require euro cash to remain available.
Largely prohibit businesses from refusing cash.
Ban blanket “No Cash” policies in many situations.
Require member states to maintain cash infrastructure even while introducing a digital euro.
Australia
Australia introduced a cash acceptance mandate effective 2026 for essential purchases at many grocery and fuel retailers, specifically to ensure people can continue using cash despite growing digital payment adoption.
States / Provinces
In the United States, there is no federal law requiring all businesses to accept cash. However, several states and cities have enacted laws prohibiting cashless-only retail businesses, including:
New Jersey
Massachusetts (one of the oldest such laws)
Rhode Island
Colorado (retail cash acceptance requirement)
New York City
Philadelphia
San Francisco
These laws generally require in-person retailers to accept cash, largely to prevent discrimination against unbanked customers.
Big picture
Ironically, the countries furthest along the path toward cashlessness, especially Sweden and Norway, have become some of the strongest supporters of preserving cash. Policymakers increasingly view physical cash not just as a payment option but as part of national resilience during cyberattacks, power failures, banking outages, or problems with future CBDC systems.
If you’re interested, I can also give you a list of countries that have explicitly stated that a future CBDC will not replace cash, which is a slightly different category.
YES CERTAINLY
Yes. One thing that gets lost in the public debate is that many central banks exploring CBDCs have simultaneously stated that cash would remain available.
Here are some of the most notable examples:
Canada
The Bank of Canada repeatedly stated that a digital Canadian dollar, if ever introduced, would complement rather than replace bank notes. After receiving nearly 90,000 consultation responses, the Bank also scaled back active retail CBDC development and shifted toward research.
Euro Area
The European Central Bank has consistently described the digital euro as a complement to cash, not a replacement. In fact, the EU is simultaneously working on legislation to strengthen cash acceptance and access while developing the digital euro.
United Kingdom
The Bank of England has repeatedly said any digital pound would exist alongside physical cash. The UK government has also legislated to protect access to cash infrastructure.
Sweden
Despite being one of the world’s most digital societies, Swedish authorities have moved to preserve cash availability. Sweden’s central bank has argued that cash remains important for resilience and emergency preparedness.
Norway
Norwegian policymakers have gone even further by strengthening cash acceptance requirements while maintaining modern digital payment systems. The message has essentially been that cash is needed as a backup during system failures or crises.
Switzerland
Switzerland may now be the strongest example. In 2026, Swiss voters approved a constitutional amendment protecting cash, with over 73% support for the government’s proposal. Any future discussion of a digital franc would now occur in a country where cash has constitutional protection.
The emerging pattern
A few years ago, many people assumed the progression would be:
Cash ? Digital Payments ? CBDC ? No Cash
What has actually happened in many countries is closer to:
Cash + Digital Payments + Possible CBDC
The strongest trend I’ve found is that governments increasingly view cash as:
a resilience tool during cyberattacks,
a backup during power or telecom outages,
a privacy-preserving payment option,
an inclusion tool for the elderly, unbanked, and vulnerable populations.
Ironically, the countries that got closest to becoming cashless, particularly Sweden, Norway, and now Switzerland, have become some of the most vocal about preserving physical currency.
From a political standpoint, the most significant development in the last few years may not be CBDCs at all. It may be the fact that multiple countries are now writing cash protections into constitutions or national law, something that would have seemed unlikely a decade ago.
………………………….
DIDN’T SWITZERLAND JUST HAVE A REFERENDUM ON CASH ?
Yes. Switzerland did hold a national referendum on cash on March 8, 2026.
The interesting part is that there were actually two competing proposals on the ballot:
A citizen-led initiative called”Cash is Freedom” that sought to constitutionally protect cash.
A government counter-proposal that also protected cash, but with more limited and legally precise wording.
What happened?
The original “Cash is Freedom” initiative was rejected, receiving about 45.6% support.
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However, the government’s counter-proposal was approved, and Swiss voters voted to put cash protections into the Swiss Constitution.
The result was strong:
73.4% of voters supported the constitutional amendment protecting cash.
The constitutional change guarantees:
The Swiss franc remains the national currency.
The state must ensure the availability of cash.
Cash receives constitutional-level protection.
What’s particularly noteworthy is that Switzerland did this while cash use is declining. According to Swiss National Bank research, cash represented over 70% of point-of-sale payments in 2017 but roughly 30% by 2024. Yet large majorities of Swiss citizens still wanted the option preserved.
So if you’re keeping score, the countries with the strongest constitutional or near-constitutional protections for cash now include:
Switzerland (2026 constitutional amendment)
Hungary
Slovakia
Slovenia (reported as adopting or moving toward constitutional protection, depending on the source)
A broader trend I’ve noticed from the legislation: countries are increasingly treating cash not merely as a payment method, but as critical infrastructure for privacy, resilience during cyberattacks, power outages, and failures of digital payment systems. That’s one reason even very digital countries like Sweden and Norway have recently moved to strengthen protections for cash.