Keep the cash at home. Central banks inform against strategy paralysis

When lights went out on April 28, 2025 at 12:33 p.m. in Spain's 50-millionth hr for 5 seconds, no 1 expected it to be the beginning of paralysis that would exposure the deadly weakness of modern civilization. 15 gigawatts of power evaporated from the power grid, but a real shock came later. Millions of people with thousands of euros in bank accounts found that they couldn't even buy a bottle of water. This incidental has become a violent case survey which has led European institutions, including central banks, to issue urgent recommendations to citizens: "Keep any money at home". What happened in Spain is no longer a fantasy, but a real script for which Europe must prepare. And cash, frequently seen as a relic of the past, has abruptly become a strategical resource to guarantee endurance in digital darkness.

Spanish nightmare, or the crash of non-cash society

The failure in Spain was more than just a power outage. It was a stress test for a society that almost completely trusted technology. Within hours of the blackout, card payments fell by shocking 55%, leaving millions of Spaniards without access to their own money. The consequences were immediate and severe.

Large retail chains, specified as Dia, made a drastic decision to close almost all their stores, leaving only warehouses open. Carrefour kept its operations only in the largest hypermarkets, but with 1 key condition: Only cash was accepted. In front of a fewer branches of banks, which thanks to emergency power generators managed to open the door, gigantic queues lined up. People in desperation tried to pay any bills to buy basic products.

Paralysis was besides affected by public transport. The metro in Madrid and Barcelona completely stopped, and 35 000 train passengers had to be evacuated from immobilized warehouses. Residents, accustomed to the convenience of proximity payments over the years, collided with painful truth: without electricity and operating electronic systems their digital savings were worthless. The economy lost in 1 day EUR 400 million in turnover only due to the inability to carry out non-cash transactions.

Union strategy of Preparedness. Europe is preparing for the worst

The Spanish crisis only happened 1 period after the European Commission announced a fresh breakthrough initiative. On 26 March 2025, Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, presented The Union of Preparedness Strategy. Its message was clear and worrying: all EU citizen must be prepared to accomplish self-sufficiency for at least 72 hours.

The strategy includes 30 key actions to strengthen Europe's resilience to a wide scope of threats. This is not just about natural disasters. The list includes geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts, attacks on critical infrastructure, cybersecurity and misinformation. "The readiness must be embedded in the tissue of our societies – everyone has a function to play", stressed Commissioner Lahbib. It is simply a signal that work for safety is besides transferred to the level of individual citizens.

A key component of the strategy is the advice for associate States to actively advance and guarantee that citizens have emergency kits. They are intended to enable the endurance of at least 3 days in the event of a complete cut-off from basic services specified as water, electricity, heating or access to payment systems. In this context, cash has ceased to be treated as an alternate and has become a fundamental component of security.

How much cash to keep at home? circumstantial recommendations of central banks

In consequence to the increasing threats, the European central banks began to issue very circumstantial financial recommendations to citizens. These are no longer general advice, but precisely calculated amounts that are intended to constitute a safety buffer.

As far as his recommendations go, Dutch central bank De Nederlandsche Bank. He officially recommended citizens to have cash at home in the amount of 70 euro per adult and 30 euro per child. These amounts were calculated to cover basic expenditure on food, water, medicines and possible transport for 72 hours of strategy failure.

Interestingly, akin steps were taken by the Swedish Riksbank – the central bank of the country, which is simply a global pioneer in cash elimination. Swedes who barely usage banknotes on a regular basis receive an authoritative advice to maintain adequate cash reserves for at least 1 week of operation. In November 2024, the Swedish Emergency Agency published the brochure “In the event of a crisis or war” in which it advised to store “sufficient amounts of cash, preferably in various denominations”. akin guidelines were implemented by France, including cash as a mandatory component of the 72-hour endurance kit.

Cyberattacks and sabotage. A real threat to European infrastructure

Although Spanish blackout was not the consequence of sabotage, it showed how fragile modern infrastructure is. Unfortunately, deliberate attacks are becoming more frequent and more advanced. fresh year data is alarming: reported 80% increase in ransomware attacks on the European energy sector. In total, more than 200 major cyber incidents have been recorded that have affected energy systems on the continent.

The financial sector is besides at risk. The European Central Bank has recorded a evidence number of attacks on banks. The breakdown of TARGET2's key clearing strategy in March, which lasted 7 hours and blocked thousands of wage payments, was only a prelude to the problems that could come. This showed that even central systems, considered the safest, are not full immune.

Plus, there's a threat of physical sabotage. In the Baltic Sea region, only 15 months were reported more than 11 harm cases to offshore cables telecommunications and energy. Many of these incidents bear the mark of deliberate action. This all creates a image of a Europe exposed to a multi-level hybrid attack on its critical infrastructure.

Polish model for Europe? How to prepare for the Vistula crisis

Against the background of European recommendations, Poland appears to be a country that has taken the issue of civic readiness very seriously for years. Ours Government safety Centre (RCB) It has drawn up guidelines that are among the most far-reaching in the European Union. While Brussels is talking about preparing for 72 hours, Polish recommendations propose having stocks to last three to 7 days.

The Polish list of emergency equipment, promoted by RCB, contains more than 25 items – from papers and food to radio for batteries and charged powerbank. Now cash is added to this list with all its power. erstwhile converting European recommendations into Polish conditions, it can be assumed that a household of 4 should have at home minimum PLN 800-900 to cover expenditure for the first 3 days of the crisis. If we want to be prepared for a longer weekly paralysis, this amount should emergence to respective 1000 zlotys.

Experts stress the importance of having cash in different, preferably tiny denominations. In a crisis situation, no 1 will spend the remainder of the 500-gold bill. Therefore, banknotes with denominations of 10, 20, 50 and 100 PLN should be included in the home reserve.

Practical guide. What should be in your emergency kit?

In line with the EU and RCB guidelines, each of us should prepare a basic crisis set that will let for at least 72 hours without access to basic services. Here is simply a list of key elements:

• Cash: The amount to last from 3 to 7 days, stored in a safe place and in tiny denominations.
• Water: Minimum of 3 litres per individual per day (for drinking and hygiene purposes).
• Food: Long word products that do not require cooking (conservatives, energy bars, dried fruit).
• First-aid kit: essential medicine taken permanently, as well as basic dressing and analgesics.
• Source: Battery (or crank) radio and spare batteries.
• Lighting: Flashlight with spare batteries, candles, matches.
• Charged powerbank: To burden your telephone if necessary.
• Copies of documents: ID card, passport, birth certificates – preferably in digital form on flash drive and paper in waterproof packaging.
• Warm clothes and sleeping bags: In case of heating failure.

Preparation of specified a set is not a manifestation of panic, but of work and foresight. The Spanish example has shown that in the digital world, our independency can vanish in seconds. Cash in the drawer may prove to be the most valuable insurance policy.