The authorities in Guantánamo warned that they will implement legal measures against private and state vendors who refuse to accept payments via electronic transfer, amid a banking crisis that officials themselves acknowledge as severe.
The topic was discussed in a meeting on the operational and socioeconomic vitality of the province, chaired by the highest authorities of the Party and the Government, and conducted via audioconference with all the municipalities.
According to the state-run newspaper Venceremos, the meeting demanded "increased actions from the relevant inspection bodies to enforce what is established by the banking system and the Cuban government," which requires all establishments to operate with electronic payment methods.
The paradox is evident: the regime threatens to sanction those who do not accept transfers, while at the same time, it admits that banks do not have enough cash, which is precisely the reason why many sellers refuse digital payments.
The state media itself acknowledged that "the lack of cash in banks limits payment, especially in sectors such as education and public health, as well as for retirees."
According to Radio Guantánamo, Bandec was able to collect just over 35% of the nearly 15 million pesos it needed daily, while BPA captured 92% of the more than two million required each day.
This shortage left without salary from July to more than 6,000 workers in Culture, Sports, Education, and Higher Secondary Education in Guantánamo.
Private businesses operate in a vicious circle: they reject transfers because their own suppliers do not accept them either, and they need cash to restock or acquire foreign currency in the informal market.
Nationally, only 3.77% of transactions in Cuba are digital in 2026, according to data from the official press, which has acknowledged the failure of the banking policy implemented since August 2023.
In some provinces, intermediaries charge up to 20%—and even 30% in Matanzas—for converting digital payments into cash, which further disincentivizes the use of transfers.
The contradiction between the threat from the authorities in Guantánamo and national policy was evident when the Central Bank of Cuba published on July 17 the Resolution 74/2026, which indefinitely eliminates the limit of 5,000 pesos for cash payments between economic actors—effective since August 2023—implicitly acknowledging the failure of the restrictive policy.
That resolution also includes incentives such as reduced fees for businesses and bonuses for consumers who use online payments, in a move that directly contradicts the coercive measures implemented by provincial authorities.
While authorities are tightening warnings against vendors, a resident of Santa Clara reported that it took him three days to withdraw only 40% of his salary in cash.
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