The role of cash (2024)

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The role of cash (1)

The economy requires a certain amount of available cash to function. Cash is the dominant means of payment within the euro area, as the clear majority of our daily payments are made using banknotes or coins. Cash is also essential for the inclusion of socially vulnerable citizens, such as the elderly or lower-income groups.

But cash offers other important functions and benefits:

  • It ensures your freedom and autonomy. Banknotes and coins are the only form of money that people can keep without involving a third party. You don’t need access to equipment, the internet or electricity to pay with cash, meaning it can be used when the power is down or if you lose your card.
  • It’s legal tender. Creditors, such as shops and restaurants, cannot refuse cash, unless both they and the customer have agreed on another means of payment in advance. For more information see the European Commission recommendation of 22 March 2010 (2010/191/EU).
  • It ensures your privacy. Cash transactions respect our fundamental right to have our privacy, data and identity protected in financial matters.
  • It’s inclusive. Cash provides payment and savings options for people with limited or no access to digital money, making it crucial for the inclusion of socially vulnerable citizens such as the elderly or lower-income groups.
  • It helps you keep track of your expenses. Cash allows you to keep closer control of your spending, for example by preventing you from overspending.
  • It’s fast. Banknotes and coins settle a payment instantly.
  • It’s secure. Cash has proven to be secure in terms of cybercrime, fraud and counterfeiting. And, as it’s central bank money, it doesn’t entail financial risks for either the payer or the payee.
  • It’s a store of value. Cash is more than just a payment instrument. It allows people to hold money for saving purposes without default risk. It is useful for small person-to-person gifts and payments. For example, parents can entrust small amounts of cash to their children for small purchases, or a person can give a friend or acquaintance cash to purchase something on their behalf. Cash also contributes to the financial literacy of children.

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The role of cash (2024)

FAQs

The role of cash? ›

It allows people to hold money for saving purposes without default risk. It is useful for small person-to-person gifts and payments. For example, parents can entrust small amounts of cash to their children for small purchases, or a person can give a friend or acquaintance cash to purchase something on their behalf.

What is the importance of cash? ›

Cash is the lifeblood of any business, as it is essential for day-to-day operations, growth, and survival. Without cash, a business cannot pay its bills, invest in new equipment or inventory, or even meet payroll.

What is the point of cash? ›

Cash is Public Money

They are the only form of public money available to the general public. They are not linked to private companies and do not incur transaction fees or the exchange of personal data.

What is the role of money? ›

To summarize, money has taken many forms through the ages, but money consistently has three functions: store of value, unit of account, and medium of exchange.

Is it important to use cash? ›

Cash makes it easier to budget and stick to it

When you pay with the cash you've budgeted for purchases, it's easier to track exactly how you're spending your money. It's also an eye-opener and keeps you in reality as to how much cash is going out vs. coming in from week to week or month to month.

What is the role of a cash? ›

It allows people to hold money for saving purposes without default risk. It is useful for small person-to-person gifts and payments. For example, parents can entrust small amounts of cash to their children for small purchases, or a person can give a friend or acquaintance cash to purchase something on their behalf.

What is cash important? ›

A cache's primary purpose is to increase data retrieval performance by reducing the need to access the underlying slower storage layer. Trading off capacity for speed, a cache typically stores a subset of data transiently, in contrast to databases whose data is usually complete and durable.

Why is cash a necessity? ›

Cash provides an immediate source of monetary assets that can be used to purchase goods and services, pay bills, and cover unexpected expenses. Many underbanked and unbanked people are unable to access traditional banking services due to lack of credit history, low income, or difficulty in providing proof of residency.

Why is money so important? ›

Money provides a safety net, shielding us from the uncertainties of life. It allows us to cover our basic needs—food, shelter, and healthcare—and grants us peace of mind. Knowing that we have the resources to weather unexpected expenses or emergencies contributes significantly to our overall well-being.

Is there any point in having cash? ›

Because keeping money in cash is all about stability and liquidity. And if you were to find yourself in a scenario where you need money now — say you lose your job, or have to manage a financial emergency — you want a stash of money in accounts you can quickly and easily access.

What are the 4 purposes of money? ›

The four main functions of money include: acting as a standard of deferred payment, being used as a store of value, acting as a medium of exchange, and being used as a unit of account.

Why money is a responsibility? ›

Money responsibility refers to the conscious effort an individual or a business makes to become prudent with their financial resources. As an individual, it involves making informed decisions and budgeting, while as a business, we could add one more to the list - bookkeeping.

Why is cash important for us? ›

It helps you keep track of your expenses.

Cash allows you to keep closer control of your spending, for example by preventing you from overspending.

Why do people really use cash? ›

With cash, your spending is straightforward and there is less risk of identity theft. Ultimately, it's up to each individual to make the best decisions based on their financial health, what they are purchasing, and the risks they are willing to incur.

Why is cash king? ›

"Cash is king" is a phrase that refers to the superiority of cash over other assets or forms of payment. Investors use a "cash is king" strategy when securities prices in the market are high and opt to save cash for when prices become cheaper.

Why is cash important in today's society? ›

Cash Payments in Unbanked and Underbanked Communities

Cash is the primary means of payment for this population, and it plays an important role in their lives. Cash provides an immediate source of monetary assets that can be used to purchase goods and services, pay bills, and cover unexpected expenses.

What's the biggest benefit of using cash? ›

Cash allows you to keep closer control of your spending, for example by preventing you from overspending. It's fast. Banknotes and coins settle a payment instantly. It's secure.

Why is cash an important asset? ›

Cash is the most liquid asset and may be used to buy other assets quickly. The readiness with which an asset can be turned into cash is known as liquidity. Cash is the standard metric for determining liquidity. It is the most straightforward way to exchange money for other goods, services, or assets.

Why is cash on cash important? ›

The cash-on-cash return rate provides business owners and investors with an analysis of the business plan for a property and the potential cash distributions over the life of the investment. Cash-on-cash return analysis is often used for investment properties that involve long-term debt borrowing.

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