A Cuban identified on Facebook as Osvi Cuba reported that he was unable to buy a bag of rice because none of the small and medium-sized enterprises he visited accepted payment by bank transfer, despite the fact that this was the only method he had for accessing money.
"Today I'm going to go without eating because I don't have any cash left; I have money in transfers," says the young man at the beginning of a video that has over 11,000 views and nearly 900 reactions on the social media platform.
Her testimony reflects a situation that thousands of Cubans claim to face daily: having a balance in their bank accounts but being unable to use it to purchase basic food items due to the rejection of electronic payments in numerous private businesses.
Osvi mentioned that he visited several small and medium-sized enterprises trying to buy a bag of rice, which was priced between 750 and 800 pesos, but he was turned down everywhere.
"I went to a branch and they told me that they couldn't process the transfer because we have too much money on the card. They said that if the bank is paying five thousand pesos, then it's paying four thousand, one thousand, I don't know what else," he recounted.
In other establishments, the explanations were different, but the outcome was the same.
"In other places, they said there is no power, that there's no connection, that the transfer is delayed in arriving, that it's the QR code... Please," she said with evident frustration.
The young man explained that he is unable to receive his earnings in cash, which is why he is completely reliant on electronic payment methods.
"I receive my money on a card, not in cash. I wish I could get it in cash so I wouldn't have this problem with you," he lamented.
A problem that transcends your case
Osvi Cuba's testimony aligns with a problem that has even been acknowledged by official media.
Despite the banking policy promoted by the government, the effective use of electronic payments remains limited. According to official figures released in July 2026, only 3.77% of transactions in the country are conducted through digital means, and in provinces like Sancti Spíritus, less than 10% of private businesses routinely accept transfers.
Behind this resistance lie several factors: many suppliers require cash payments, banks are unable to meet the cash demands of the population, and frequent blackouts, along with connectivity issues, hinder the operation of payment platforms.
As a result, an informal market of intermediaries has also emerged that convert digital money into cash in exchange for high fees. In some provinces, users can lose between 30% and 45% of the value of their transfers to obtain cash.
Banking inclusion has declined, but the issue persists
In light of the difficulties caused by the mandatory banking system, implemented in August 2023 through Resolution 111/2023 of the Central Bank of Cuba, the authorities eventually relaxed some of their measures.
On July 17, 2026, the Central Bank issued Resolution 74/2026, which indefinitely suspended the limit of 5,000 pesos for cash transactions between economic actors, acknowledging that the country's conditions still did not allow for the full maintenance of that model.
However, cases like that of Osvi Cuba highlight that the difficulties persist. For many Cubans, the problem is no longer the lack of money in their bank accounts, but rather the inability to convert that balance into food and other essential products.
As the official press itself recently admitted, the banking crisis "has ceased to be a banking difficulty and has become a social problem."
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