Safe use of cash

Although the use of cash is declining, cash remains a popular way to pay for smaller purchases. If you regularly use cash, there are a few things you need to be aware of. We explain them below.

Handle cash safely

If you have a lot of cash at home or you often pay in cash, you need to be aware of the risks and be safe. Keeping a lot of cash in your home or pocket makes you vulnerable to criminals.

Do not keep large amounts of cash at home, and do not withdraw large amounts of cash.

If you often carry large amounts of cash in public, for example so that you can make a deposit, always do this at different times so that no one can predict when will be carrying cash.

Alternatives

There are plenty of digital alternatives to cash. You run less risk with them and the money usually arrives in the recipient's account immediately.

Payment requests

Cash and crime

Paying with cash leaves hardly any digital trace, which is why cash is popular with criminals. It is difficult to work out where cash comes from and who is spending it. Research shows that €200 and €500 banknotes are particularly popular with criminals.

Money laundering
Criminals try to launder the money they obtain from their crimes. They do this by spending the money on legal products and services. These are usually products or services with a high value, such as jewelry. Bringing the money back into the economy in this way makes it difficult to check whether the money was earned honestly. If someone wants to pay you a large amount in cash, they might be involved in money laundering. It also means the money might be kept hidden from the Tax and Customs Administration.

The government has therefore introduced a prohibition on cash payments of €3,000 and over, which came

into effect on January 1, 2026. Business are no longer allowed accept cash payments exceeding €3,000 when selling or procuring goods. This prohibition applies to transactions between businesses, and between businesses and private individuals. It does not apply to transactions between private individuals. It also does not apply if the transaction concerns services rather than products. More information can be found on the website of the Tax and Customs Administration.

Our measures

We also take measures to prevent the criminal use of cash. We are required to do this under the Prevention of Money-Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act (Wwft), but it is also something we believe is important. We want to make sure the use of cash remains safe.

Investigation into source of funds

We carry out investigations into payment transactions, for example. As part of one of our investigations, we may ask you where your cash comes from if you deposit a large amount of money in your bank account or if you frequently deposit €200 or €500 banknotes. As a gatekeeper of the financial system, we need to be able to explain the source of that money. Asking about this puts us in a better position to assess whether money may have come from an improper source.

You need to be aware that money belonging to a business must not be deposited in a private payment account. Any cash belonging to a business must therefore be deposited in a business payment account so that it is immediately clear where the money comes from.

Business banking

Safe use of cash for businesses (Dutch)