A visit to one of the busiest markets in Havana highlighted one of the everyday contradictions faced by Cubans. In a video posted on Facebook, Cuban Yâïmy Fonseca reported that none of the vendors at the Virgen del Camino square accept payments via bank transfer because the constant power outages prevent the verification of transactions.
The recording, which has surpassed 40,000 views, shows stalls with meat, chicken, rice, and other foods, while the author asks the vendors if it is possible to pay via Transfermóvil or Enzona. The response, he claims, was the same in every case.
"None of these people accept transfers. Nobody here accepts transfers... What I can tell you is that throughout Virgen del Camino, nobody accepts transfers. The justification is that there is no electricity," Fonseca states during the video.
The scene illustrates a problem that has become commonplace in much of the country. Without electricity, electronic payment platforms cease to function, confirmation messages do not arrive, and sellers have no way to verify that the money has been received before handing over the goods.
But the rejection of transfers also responds to another reality: many private businesses prefer to be paid in cash because money deposited in bank accounts is difficult to withdraw due to the ongoing scarcity of cash in the Cuban financial system.
In various provinces, the situation is repeating itself. In May of this year, data from Sancti Spíritus indicated that less than 10% of private businesses accepted digital payments, while at agricultural fairs in municipalities of Havana such as La Lisa and El Cotorro, practically no establishment utilized that mechanism. In the few cases where it is accepted, some businesses apply surcharges that can reach up to 20%, a practice prohibited by the authorities.
The issue highlights the challenges of the banking policy promoted by the Cuban government since August 2023 through Resolution 111, which aimed to extend the use of electronic payments amid a cash shortage. Although the regime itself acknowledged in 2024 the limitations of this strategy, obstacles remain and have worsened during 2026.
The energy crisis, deemed the most severe in recent decades, has further complicated the functioning of the system. On June 16, the Electric Union reported an availability of only 995 megawatts against a demand of 2,620 MW, resulting in a deficit exceeding 1,600 MW, while in some areas of the country, power outages have exceeded 50 consecutive hours.
This is compounded by the lack of liquidity in the banks. In April, the agency EFE reported lines of up to six hours at Havana branches, where many retirees waited to withdraw their pensions. That same month, the provincial government of Granma acknowledged that it lacked the 400 million pesos necessary to pay over 111,000 pensioners.
Although the government announced in June a package of 176 economic measures, including the authorization of private banking, their effects have yet to be felt in the daily lives of Cubans.
Fonseca summarized that frustration in the message that accompanied his post: "What’s the point of having money in the bank if it's becoming more and more difficult to withdraw it? And when you try to pay by transfer, many places don't accept it. Daily life in Cuba has turned into a constant struggle."
Filed under: