Related videos:
The Banco Metropolitano announced on Monday the indefinite suspension of appointment reservations for cash withdrawals at its branches in Havana, a measure that directly impacts thousands of Havana residents who rely on this system to access their money amid an unprecedented banking and energy crisis.
According to the official statement issued by the entity, the cause is direct: "the interruptions caused by the lack of electrical supply in the capital." The suspension affects the appointments that were managed through the MiTurno platform of Transfermóvil and Ticket of EnZona for the Cash Operations service, which means cash withdrawals.
The bank clarified that other procedures—opening or transferring savings accounts, certifications or account statements, applying for or extending loans, and requesting a cashier's check—remain available through online reservations on both platforms. The statement concludes with a brief phrase: "We apologize for the inconvenience caused."
The measure comes just four days after Cuba recorded the highest historical electrical deficit in the country: 2,208 MW at 8:50 PM on June 25, leaving more than 70% of the national territory without electricity. The Electric Company of Havana confirmed that night an additional loss of 640 MW. The capital has been enduring between 20 and 24 hours a day without electricity for weeks, rendering ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, and the banks' own computer systems inoperable.
The collapse of cash access in Havana had been worsening for some time. According to a citizen complaint from June 28, the Metropolitan Bank reduced the maximum withdrawal limit per person from 5,000 to 3,000 Cuban pesos, an amount insufficient even to purchase a box of eggs. More than 50% of the ATMs in the capital were out of service in May 2026, and by June, only around 200 of the more than 500 installed machines were operational.
The situation became even more critical on June 15, when criminals robbed a bank branch in the Lawton neighborhood during a nighttime blackout, just hours before pension payments were set to begin. "They stole from the ATM and entered through there," reported local residents. MININT deployed an operation, but no official information was released regarding any arrests or the amount stolen, leaving retirees unable to collect their payments the next day.
The online appointment booking system had been implemented precisely to avoid the endless in-person queues, but it was already operating under severe limitations: the bank only issued 50 appointments daily per platform. Now, with the complete suspension of cash withdrawals, the residents of Havana have no digital alternative to manage this process.
The regime announced a package of 176 economic measures in June, including the authorization of private banking for the first time in decades, but none have resolved the cash shortage or the blackouts that paralyze the banking system. Cuba has more than 1.7 million retirees who depend on the state banking system to collect their pensions, and the province of Granma already acknowledged in June that it does not have the 400 million pesos necessary to pay its 111,000 pensioners.
Filed under: