The French are withdrawing cash less frequently, but larger sums, according to the Banque de France

The French made just over 1.1 billion withdrawals last year, 4.3% less than in 2023 and 7.1% less than in 2022.

The number of ATMs - 42,758 units at the end of 2024 - decreased similarly over the period: -3.5% between 2023 and 2024 and -7.9% between 2022 and 2024.

The average ATM withdrawal amount, however, has been trending upward for a longer time. It reached €126 in 2024, compared to €82 in 2014, the study's authors note.

" The French therefore withdraw cash from ATMs less often, but for larger amounts ," they conclude.

Supply has adapted to demand. The share of 50 euro notes injected into payment circuits has increased over the past ten years in France.

The demand for banknotes is not solely driven by transactional motives, the Banque de France emphasizes. Cash is, in fact, mostly stored under mattresses, in the eurozone and beyond (Eastern Europe, Africa, etc.).

The share of cash payments at points of sale (supermarkets, restaurants, hairdressers, etc.), which has been on a downward trend, fell behind that of bank cards in France for the first time last year, according to a study published at the end of 2024 by the European Central Bank (ECB).

In value, this share is stable, according to this study.

In terms of access to cash, " departmental disparities exist ," according to another study, relayed in June on the Caisse des Dépôts (CDC) website.

" While almost all residents of Ile-de-France and PACA have access to bank branches in their town, more than half of the residents of Haute-Saône (59%), Creuse (59%), Meuse (57%), and Lot (54%) are deprived of it ," she says.

Around 30 billion euro banknotes were in circulation at the end of June, with a total value of around 1.6 trillion euros, " reflecting strong demand for cash both inside and outside the eurozone ," according to the ECB.