BRANCHH Consulting and Outsourcing has commissioned a Payments Preferences Survey for Jamaica which lays bare where the country is in its transition from analogue (cash) to digital payments.

In Pakistan, cash is more than a currency. It is a culture, convenience, and continuity which is woven deep into the nation’s economic identity. From the crowded street vendors in Karachi to elaborate wedding ceremonies in rural Punjab, the tangible crinkle of banknotes remains king. While much of the world surges towards digital transactions, Pakistan walks a slower, more tentative path.

At the recent Asia Cash Management Association meeting at the Asia Cash Cycle conference in Bali, Scott Forster of the CPT Group presented on the systemic resilience and fragility of the cash infrastructure. For cash to survive, the cash infrastructure must be sustainable and viable.

Scott Hamilton has written a useful summary in Finextra of the possible impact of stablecoins on transactions, particularly cross-border1. While adoption is rising fast, the future is not yet secure.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has formed a task force to explore adoption of stablecoins. It is doing this in the context of the eNaira, which is proving unpopular.

Mastercard has held an ‘African Edge Summit’ to accelerate Africa’s digital payments. The event focused on building infrastructure, and interoperability with a focus on consumers and small businesses with representatives from banks, fintech companies, telcos, regulators and technology partners.

Reuter has reported that Visa and Mastercard have agreed a $38 billion settlement with US retailers over interchange fees by agreeing to cut interchange fees, which typically average 2-2.5% per transaction, by a tenth of a percentage point over several years.

We are in a different place compared with even two years ago and the conversation about the future of cash is changing substantially. This was visible in the agenda and the conversations of this year’s Future of Cash conference, which took place in Warsaw at the start of November.

Barbara Jaroszek, Director, Cash and Issue Department at Narodowy Bank Polski (NBP), spoke about ‘Poland’s Paybook for Unthinkable Times’ at the Future of Cash conference in Warsaw on 4 November.

Pascal Wicht presented SICPA’s research on Gen Z at the Future of Cash. The title of the presentation was ‘Cash in a Careless System – Reframing Value, Autonomy and Resilience’. And it was a thought-provoking presentation.

The European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs issued its draft report on the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation on the establishment of the digital euro on 3 November.

Since its inception in 1995, the Cash Cycle Seminar, organised by Currency Research (CR) has united industry leaders to share insights and innovations shaping the future of cash. Marking its third decade, the Asia Cash Cycle Seminar 2025, which took place 22-25 September in Bali, Indonesia, carried the theme ‘Cash Cycle 360: Redefining Resilience with Technology & Trust’.

The ATMIA held its Europe and Emerging Markets summit in London 14-15 October.

A key theme of the ATMIA’s Europe and Emerging Markets summit was how access to cash is being managed in the UK. Barclays Bank, Cash Access UK, OneBanx and NatWest Bank spoke about the reality behind the UK’s journey to tackle the problem of access to cash.

Increasingly one hears people speak about cash and payments co-existing in a symbiotic relationship. Generally this is in countries facing a sharp decline in cash use for transactions.

A new NCR Atleos white paper on cash in the digital age reminds readers that the word ‘ATM’ is like the word ‘Google’: It’s a verb, it’s a noun and it’s something that’s just readily understood all over the world.’

The digitalisation of payments offers speed, convenience, and global reach. Yet, this transformation comes with additional vulnerabilities—chief among them, the risk of outages that can paralyze payment systems.

The International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) held an online round table discussion considering the Future of Cash Management Services, with a particular focus on cash in transit (CIT) companies, cash management companies (CMC) and cash processors. The panellists were Charles Nwodo from Integrated Cash Management Services in Nigeria, Tanja Kulisch-Ziemens from the International Security Ligue (ISL) and Scott Forster from the CPT Group. David Faglemen from Enryo Consulting was the moderator.

Meta has added a QR code-based payments option to the WhatsApp Business App in India, allowing small businesses to share QR codes in one tap so that customers can pay directly within WhatsApp using their preferred payment method.

The leader of China’s Digital Currency Research Institute has obliquely hinted that the eCNY may evolve to involve fractional banking, becoming a tokenised deposit solution anchored by a wholesale CBDC.