Marc Terry, International Managing Director for Cardtronics said:

"The launch of the new £50 is a clear sign that cash is alive and well and demonstrates the Bank of England's clear commitment to the UK's essential cash economy for many years to come. The predictions of a cashless future are not only misleading, they are dangerously incorrect and risk alienating huge swathes of society. Over 8 million people are believed to rely on cash for their day-to-day lives so safeguarding the future of cash is clearly extremely important. Even during the lockdown when cash usage was at its lowest, the ATM network still dispensed a billion pounds in cash every week and now that restrictions are being lifted, cash usage is returning. The anti-cash lobby has tried hard to use the pandemic to promote other forms of payments and extinguish cash use and yet our latest research shows as many as three quarters (74%) of UK consumers believe that all retailers should offer the option to pay in cash. If politicians are serious about keeping access to cash and supporting their electorates' right to use cash then they need to do more to ensure that LINK and the banks support the cash infrastructure of the UK. Cash provides us all with choice, freedom and security for times when technology fails us, we must protect it."