Last April 28 millions of people in Spain, Portugal, Andorra and South France They experienced a Electric blackout unprecedented. From one moment to another, the light went, the internet was cut, the telecommunications collapsed and the payment systems stopped working. Without going far, in mid -February also in Chile a similar event It happened: shops closing, paralyzed transport stations, saturated mobile networks, hospitals operating in emergency mode and as if we had returned in time, the news is heard on the radios that were in the street. In the midst of all this, a silent question began to gain strength in my head: Are we really prepared to live without technology?
The answer, although uncomfortable, is clear: no. And the blackout was a concrete sample of it. One of the most visible effects was the impossibility of paying. The vast majority of transactions today are made with a card, mobile or smartwatch. It is fast, comfortable and safe … as long as there is electricity. But when there is not, the dependence of these methods becomes a vulnerability. Yesterday, without point of sale or signal terminal, many found themselves in the unusual situation of having money in the bank, but not being able to buy what was planned for the day. Not due to lack of resources, but because they did not have effective.
For years it has been tried to push cash towards obsolescence, with arguments focused on efficiency, traceability or the fight against fraud. However, at times like yesterday, it is clear that cash is not a vestige of the past, but an essential tool for citizen resilience.
Physical money does not depend on a server, a network, or a battery. It is immediate, universal and does not require technological intermediaries. It is, in a way, a form of individual sovereignty. When everything else fails, the cash continues to work.
In addition, we cannot ignore that there are sectors of the population for whom digital is not a viable option. Older people, rural communities, people without constant access to mobile devices or bank accounts. In a society that is digitized by accelerated steps, the cash remains its only way to participate in the economy. What message are we sending them if we completely eliminate it?
The blackout was not just a technical failure. It was a attention call. He showed us how easy it is to lose control when we blindly rest on a system without having an alternative plan. It is not about rejecting technology (it would be absurd to do so), but to use it with responsibility, understanding its limits and planning for unforeseen events.
Revaluing the use of cash is not a step back. It is a way to prepare better for the future. One where systemic failures, cyber attacks or natural catastrophes do not leave us without options. A future in which, whatever happens, we can move on.
Because when everything goes out, the cash … so tangible, so simple, so underestimated … it’s still there.
General Director of Prosegur Cash for Latam Sur.
Source: Ambito
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