Access to Cash in Europe
Access to cash is the question of whether people can withdraw and deposit banknotes close to where they live. In Germany the Bundesbank measures the distance to the next ATM or bank counter; the United Kingdom and Ireland have written cash access into law. Dated payments events are in the calendar below.
Where people in Germany get their cash
Most cash in Germany comes out of an ATM. According to the Deutsche Bundesbank, 96 percent of survey respondents use ATMs, and ATMs supply 78 percent of the cash that consumers withdraw. Bank counters supply 13 percent and shop checkouts 9 percent. The number of ATMs fell from about 59,000 in 2018 to about 51,000 when the Bundesbank published its study.
The Bundesbank also measured the distance. A person in Germany lives on average 1.4 kilometers from the next ATM or bank counter: 1.1 kilometers in cities and 1.9 kilometers in rural areas. About 96 percent of the population, 80.7 million people, have a cash access point in their own municipality, and about 3.6 million people have to leave it to get cash. The share of respondents who find the way to cash somewhat or very difficult rose from 6 percent in 2021 to 15 percent in 2023.
How the UK and Ireland regulate access to cash
The United Kingdom made cash access a duty of its regulator. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 requires the Financial Conduct Authority to seek reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit services for personal and business current accounts. Under FCA rules in force since September 18, 2024, designated banks and building societies assess the effect before they close a branch or an ATM, deliver additional services where they find a significant gap, and keep the old facility open until the replacement is available. Residents and local groups can request such an assessment. The FCA puts 95.0 percent of the UK population within one mile of a free cash withdrawal point.
Ireland works with fixed criteria. Under the Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) Act 2025, the Minister for Finance sets for each of eight regions the share of people who must live within 10 kilometers of an ATM and of a cash service point, plus a minimum number of ATMs per 100,000 people. The Central Bank of Ireland checks the network against these criteria with quarterly data from banks, ATM operators and An Post, and notifies the designated banks where a region falls short.
Cash at the shop counter, new machines and the digital euro
Banks are one source of cash among several. The ECB's analysis of access to cash in the euro area describes retailers that pay out cash with a purchase (cash-back) and without one (cash-in-shop), next to mobile branches and post office services, and notes that cash recycling machines, which take deposits and pay the same notes out again, are spreading. Under the PSD3 package, shops may pay out up to 150 euros in cash without a purchase.
The same ECB analysis shows how countries measure coverage. The share of people within 5 kilometers of a cash access point ranged from 77 to 100 percent across the euro area countries, with a median above 95 percent. The Netherlands has used a 5 kilometer target for ATMs since 2007, Poland treats access as adequate when 90 percent of people live within 10 kilometers, and Sweden's law on cash services took effect in 2021.
The Eurosystem also plans a digital form of cash. Its progress report on the digital euro describes an offline function that users fund online or at an ATM and that settles device to device with cash-like privacy. The offline digital euro page explains how it would work.
Upcoming payments events in Germany
Finance Loop and access to cash
ATM networks, cash logistics and the payment terminal at the shop counter belong to the Payments & Digital Money track at Finance Loop. The financial inclusion page covers the right to a basic payment account, and the card payments page covers the Bundesbank figures on how people in Germany pay at the till.
Payments & Digital Money
Risk & Compliance
What does access to cash mean?
It means that people can withdraw and deposit banknotes and coins within a reasonable distance: at an ATM, a bank counter, a post office or a shop checkout. Central banks measure it by distance and by the share of people who live near a cash access point.
How far is the next ATM in Germany?
On average 1.4 kilometers to the next ATM or bank counter, according to the Bundesbank: 1.1 kilometers in cities and 1.9 kilometers in rural areas. About 3.6 million people have no cash access point in their own municipality.
Which European countries regulate access to cash by law?
The United Kingdom through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 and the FCA rules, Ireland through the Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) Act 2025, and Sweden through its law on cash services. The Netherlands works with a 5 kilometer target for ATMs.
Can you get cash at a shop checkout in Germany?
Yes. The Bundesbank counts the shop checkout as a withdrawal point, and it supplies 9 percent of the cash that consumers withdraw. Under the PSD3 package, shops may also pay out up to 150 euros without a purchase.
Access to cash and Finance Loop
Finance Loop covers access to cash in its Payments & Digital Money track, next to card payments, instant payments and the digital euro. Finance Loop brings people from banks, payment institutions and retail together at events in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg.
Finance Loop is a professional network and has the goal of driving the adoption of emerging technologies in finance, such as AI, digital payments, cloud and blockchain solutions. Finance Loop helps its members build skills and personal networks in these fields: Investment & Digital Assets, Payments & Digital Money, Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty, and Risk & Compliance.