The Riksbank considers that the resilience of the payment system would be strengthened by improving the ability to pay by card and withdraw cash even when data communication is not working. The Payments Inquiry , presented in March last year, included a proposal for a state credit guarantee for merchants to facilitate offline purchases of essential goods in peacetime crises or states of heightened alert. The Riksbank considers this to be a step in the right direction and will in future take a leading role in the work to improve the possibilities of making offline payments. The Riksbank will convene relevant actors in the private and public sectors to contribute to the work.

Exemption from the cash register requirement needed to be able to pay cash in times of crisis and war

The Riksbank is in favour of the Payments Inquiry’s proposal that it should be possible to make exceptions from the requirement to use cash registers in a peacetime crisis or state of heightened alert. This would increase the possibility of paying by cash in such situations. Under current legislation, merchants must be able to record all purchases in a cash register and offer the customer a receipt, which means that they cannot accept cash without breaking the law if their cash register system is not working.