Central Bank of Cuba advises withdrawing cash in warehouses due to the lack of money in ATMs

HeCentral Bank of Cuba (BCC) reiterated in recent days to the Cubans that, in the face of the appellant shortage of cash at ATMs automatic, go to warehouses or other commercial establishments of the Ministry of Internal Trade (MINCIN) in order to withdraw cash from their bank accounts through the"Extra Box".

Although the systemIt was approved since September 2021 Apparently it has not had the expected follow-up, so the BCC reiterates to its clients how to do it.

In a tutorial published on its social networks, the Central Bank detailed that the service requires installing the application EnZona andwhich allows you to withdraw up to 5,000 Cuban pesos in cash at points of sale by scanning a QR code.

The service, which is the result of a collaboration between Cuban banks and MINCIN, is evidence of the paradox of not having anything to buy at a grocery store but still going to try to use it as just that: an ATM.

Since its approval,banking authorities in Cuba have described the measure as a "practical solution" to the shortage of ATMs.

“It not only facilitates access to cash, but also reduces money manipulation, increasing security for our workers and clients,” said a director of Banco Metropolitano.

ATMs almost never have money available and the amounts that can be accessed from the Caja Extra service are very small, sinceDespite having a limit of 5,000 CUP, in practice establishments can almost never dispense with the maximum limit.

The Extra Cash service establishes that natural persons canwithdraw cash in commercial establishments such as pharmacies, supermarkets, stores, post offices, telecommunications, among others, located in those areas where there are no ATMs.

After its approval, a little more than two and a half years ago, the Cuban economist Elías Amor anticipatedCyberCuba that it was a measure with a "patch" function in a ruined economy.

"They will not solve a problem, but they will be able to create a liquid situation for some establishment at a certain time, because if they hand over all the cash they have and they receive an urgent payment, we do not know how they will satisfy it," concluded the economist since September of 2021.