A video shared on social media this Friday showed numerous people attempting to withdraw cash from a bank in Havana, in a scene that encapsulates the banking crisis affecting Cuba.
The brief recording, shared on the Facebook profile of user Liena López Delgado, documented the crowd gathered in front of Branch 263 of the Banco Metropolitano, located at the corner of Monte and Carmen, on the urban boundary between the municipalities of Centro Habana and La Habana Vieja.
The reactions reflected the discomfort caused by difficulties in accessing cash. "That is the truth about Cuba," summarized a commentator.
Another user reported that after selling her house, she faced difficulties in retrieving the deposited money and claimed that the entity was returning it to her gradually because, as she explained, they were not allowed to give her the entire amount at once. She added that she ended up paying 1,000 pesos for every 5,000 she needed to withdraw through an intermediary.
The comments also linked the cash shortage to everyday hardships. "Everyone looking for food because of hunger, many unable to bathe," wrote another user, in a response that reflects how the difficulties in accessing cash intertwine with other deprivations affecting Cubans.
"That's why I don't want money in the bank, I am the bank, poor retirees and others, this has never been seen before," wrote a user in the comments of the video, a statement that captures the frustration of millions of Cubans facing a system that denies them access to their own money.
Lines at Havana's banks have become common, with waits that in some cases exceed eight hours.
The Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) issued Resolution 74/2026 in July, which eliminated the 5,000 peso limit for transactions between economic actors, a measure interpreted as an implicit acknowledgment of the failure of the banking policy imposed by the government in August 2023.
Recently, the BCC released new banknotes in denominations of 10,000 and 20,000 pesos as a measure to try to rein in rampant inflation
The National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP) ordered the government and the BCC to adopt new measures to improve banking services for the public.
The lack of cash has even forced the transfer of banking functions to private businesses. In Guantánamo, 113 establishments are handling pension payments for more than 3,000 retirees due to the banks' inability to guarantee this service, while in Sancti Spíritus some businesses are imposing surcharges of up to 40% for payments made via transfer.
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