Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Estonia are developing offline card payment systems to maintain service continuity in case online infrastructures are disrupted, as reported by Reuters.
These initiatives come in response to Western intelligence indicating that Russia has targeted undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region in recent years. Tuomas Valimaki, a board member of the Bank of Finland, stated that the likelihood of significant disruptions has risen due to the current geopolitical situation.
Norway and Denmark have already implemented offline payment systems, with Sweden planning to follow suit by July 2026. Finland and Estonia are also in the process of developing similar systems. According to central bank data, these Nordic countries exhibit some of the lowest cash usage globally, with only 10% of Finns preferring notes and coins as their primary payment method.
Valimaki highlighted that the threat extends beyond Russia, pointing to Europe’s dependence on US payment giants like Visa and Mastercard. He mentioned that “we cannot rule out that one night someone on Truth Social comes up with using payments as a pressure tactic,” referencing the social media platform favored by Donald Trump.