Cash shortage in Sancti Spíritus: BANDEC suspends ATM refills

The shortage of cash at Sancti Spíritus is severe and the Banco de Crédito y Comercio (BANDEC) has made the decision not to replenish the ATMs of its main branch starting this Tuesday.

Luis Francisco Castro Diaz, BANDEC Business Manager in the territory, confirmed to Escambray that this measure could be extended to other municipalities in the coming weeks.

Citizens who need cash are forced to stand in long lines to be attended to by the cashier service within the branch itself and will be able to withdraw up to 5 thousand pesos.

However, this amount will depend on the conditions that the bank has on that day, that is, on the availability of cash they have.

Due to lack of cash, the Cuban government also fails to pay salaries to workers and pensions for retirees. In one of the territories where this problem was recognized by the authorities was in Sancti Spíritus.

The liquidity crisis It is not a new phenomenon in Cuba. In recent months, citizens in several provinces have faced huge queues and cash withdrawal limitations of ATMs.

This is one of the complex problems that the government has failed to solve. Recent reports from provinces such as Las Tunas indicate that the situation has forced citizens to depend almost exclusively on the cashier services within bank branches to get cash.

The situation is unsustainable, especially for elderly in Cuba who do not have skills in making online transactions, nor in the use of payment technologies. They are forced to stand in long lines in the sun, sometimes with no guarantee of being able to withdraw money.

This scenario is repeated in all the provinces of the country. Numerous incidents and public discontent have been reported due to the lack of cash availability at ATMs.

Experts point out that there is a combination of economic and political factors that have exacerbated the situation, including inefficient management and the lack of a clear strategy to solve the liquidity crisis.

Meanwhile, residents of Sancti Spíritus and other areas of the country hope that measures will be taken soon to restore regular access to cash and mitigate the impact of this crisis on their daily lives.