Sweden Advises Citizens to Stash Cash

The Swedish government has advised citizens to keep a store of cash to prepare for emergencies in a brochure distributed to every household in Sweden this week.

The brochure­—available in English as well as Swedish and many other languages—is titled ‘In case of crisis or war’. It says all residents of Sweden must stand united to resist threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns, and all are part of the nation’s overall emergency preparedness. Other risks highlighted are extreme weather conditions, dangerous pathogens, IT outages and organised crime.

In the section covering home preparedness, the government recommends people use cash occasionally—echoing a recent video from the Central Bank that also recommended everyone use cash from time to time, to ensure it remains available—and says it is ‘good to have enough cash for at least one week, preferably in different denominations.’

Norway and Finland have issued similar guidance, with Norway saying: ‘Keep some cash at home, preferably in varied and smaller values. The amount of cash will be relative to the number of persons in your household and the type of goods you will need to purchase.’ Finland’s information says: ‘Make sure you have enough cash at home for a few days’ necessary purchases. Card payments will stop working soon after the power failure has begun.’

The Swedish brochure also covers topics including warning systems, evacuation and seeking shelter, first aid, digital security and how to discuss crises and war with children. Important phone numbers and websites are listed on the penultimate page, with public service announcements and types of alarm covered on the final page.

The government and Central Bank advice to use and store cash is the culmination of several months of Sweden backtracking on a cashless society, as authorities become acutely aware of the risks of relying solely on payment methods that require electricity and internet access. While cashless payments will continue to be widely used in daily life, citizens have been reminded that cash matters, and it needs to be used and circulated not just for the purposes of choice and inclusion, but also to make a vital contribution to national resilience.