Photo: GettyOver €30bn worth of contactless payments were made in Ireland last year as cash withdrawals continued to fall, according to new figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI). Contactless payments made up close to 90pc of all point-of-sale payments during the period. As expected, cash usage continued to decline, with the number of cash withdrawals including at ATMs and as cashback in shops falling by 7.1pc year-on-year. For every €1 withdrawn in cash, €2.46 was spent using contactless payments – an increase from €1.70 recorded in 2023. Over the same period, the share of cash payments in restaurants fell from 84pc to 57pc, the ECB said.

Source: Irish Independent February 19, 2026 10:06 UTC