The scarcity of five and ten euro cent coins is not new and will not be resolved. “However, there have never been so many coins in circulation as today,” said Francis Adyns, spokesman for the FPS Finance.
Currently, there are approximately 763 million five-cent coins and 470 million ten-cent coins in circulation. “That should be more than enough for payment transactions,” Adyns reckons. Moreover, the majority of payments are made digitally these days. Still, calls appear every now and then from traders asking to pay with the small coins. They need them themselves as change for customers who pay cash.
“People are hoarding the small coins at home,” Adyns thinks. Paying at the bakery with five and ten cents takes more time and not everyone dares to do that when there is a line waiting behind you. Still, that’s the easiest way to quickly fix the problem: “Everyone should get their coins back in circulation,” says Adyns.
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