Cashless Denmark records no bank robberies in 2022

Denmark’s transition away from cash has seen the country record its first ever year in which it experienced zero bank robberies.

In 2000 Denmark saw 221 bank robberies, according to the country’s finance workers’ union, Finansforbundet. Since 2017, there have been fewer than 10 a year, until 2022 when the number fell to zero.

Finansforbundet says that the fall has coincided with many banks completely closing their branch cash registers.

Denmark, like countries around the world has seen declining cash usage in recent years as people move to electronic alternatives, notably contactless payments. The trend accelerated during the Covid pandemic.

Finansforbundet deputy chairman Steen Lund Olsen hailed the milestone: “It is nothing short of fantastic. Because it is an absolutely extreme strain on the affected employees every time it happens.”

However, the union notes that employees still face potential violence and threats, with much the abuse now occurring digitally and over the phone.

“By continuing to develop new payment solutions, we can maintain a development away from cash — less cash, less crime,” Finance Denmark said in its report.