Why cash is still king: Ireland warned after Spain’s digital payment blackout

A power outage in Spain exposed the limits of cashless societies — now Ireland must rethink its payment resilience

TOPSHOT - People queue for the ATM at downtown Lisbon on April 28, 2025, during a massive power cut affecting the entire Iberian peninsula and the south of France.  Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images

One could only feel sorry for the flustered shopkeepers on the beachfront boardwalks along Spain's sunshine coasts this week, holding impromptu sales as their stock literally went into meltdown.

The electricity power failure which swept the Iberian peninsula meant ice-cream shops had plenty of treats to sell, but a short window to sell them.