Electronic payments

Transferring money or paying at the till is something we all do. Nowadays, almost only with our bank card or mobile phone. We have cash in our wallets less often. Power failures or cyber-attacks on banks can, in the worst-case scenario, cause digital payment transactions to stop working for some time. Therefore, if we are unexpectedly unable to pay or withdraw electronically, it causes a lot of inconvenience and anxiety for you as a consumer. But it can also seriously disrupt society.

Think ahead

Make sure you always have cash on hand to buy food and drinks for your household for a few days.
When deciding the amount, also consider cash for medicines or baby food, for instance.

Is there a long-term disruption?

Check your bank's website or iDeal for up-to-date information.

Government actions

The government has contingency plans ready.
Banks and other financial institutions must comply with laws and regulations to properly secure their digital systems. This is overseen by the Dutch Central Bank (De Nederlandsche Bank).
Alternative ways of paying are being investigated for when there is a major pin failure (such as debit card deferral or paying with a QR code). This is already happening for smaller outages.