In the eurozone cash remains the most widely accepted means of payment

Cash remains the most widely accepted means of payment in the euro area. This is shown by the European Central Bank's latest survey on the use of cash by businesses, published on Thursday.

In 2026, 92 per cent of businesses selling goods and services at physical points of sale say they accept cash. The scope covers retail, restaurants and cafés, hotels and the arts, entertainment and leisure sectors. Two years ago the share was 90 per cent, so acceptance is recovering slightly after the decline recorded during and after the pandemic.

The survey was conducted between February and April among a sample of 8,205 businesses in twenty-one eurozone countries.

Cards flat, digital surging

The comparison between instruments gives the more interesting picture. Acceptance of card payments remained broadly stable at 88 per cent between 2024 and 2026. Over the same period, acceptance of digital payments rose from 36 to 68 per cent of businesses, nearly doubling in two years.

The growth of digital payments is therefore not coming at the expense of cash but adding to existing options. Businesses are widening the range of instruments they accept rather than replacing one with another. That carries a cost but broadens the customer base they can reach.

Part of the sector, however, is pushing in a definite direction. Twenty-five per cent of businesses in the euro area say they have taken steps to promote digital payments. The measures cited include investing in tills that accept cashless payments and reducing the number of tills that take cash.

The figures are also relevant to Switzerland, which is not part of the eurozone but shares much of its consumer behaviour and payment infrastructure. In the Swiss debate the availability of cash comes up regularly, above all for people who do not use electronic means or have no access to an account. The ECB survey indicates that where the market is free to decide, acceptance has settled at a high level without any obligation being imposed.