Latvijas Banka, in cooperation with critical service providers and merchants, has implemented offline card payments – a solution that enables the purchase of essential goods, such as food, fuel, and medicinal products, when conventional card payments are not possible due to disruptions to internet or mobile communications.
Not everyone carries cash in their wallet, as card payments have become the norm for everyday purchases. Offline card payments enable natural persons who are clients of critical financial service providers to purchase goods from certain food retailers, petrol stations, and pharmacies for a total value of up to EUR 200 per card when internet connectivity is unavailable. Residents should bear in mind that this solution can only be used by physically inserting the payment card into a card terminal and entering the card's PIN. The offline solution cannot currently be used for payments made with a smart device. It should also be noted that the solution does not work if the respective merchant has no access to electricity.
The solution is currently operational at 10 retail outlets:
- three food and essential goods retail chains – Rimi, Maxima, and Lidl;
- the petrol stations of four fuel retailers – VIADA, ASTARTE NAFTA, Virši, and Neste (which supports offline payments made with Neste client payment cards);
- three pharmacy chains – Euroaptieka, Mēness aptieka, and BENU.
Offline payments can only be made with cards issued by four banks – Swedbank AS, AS SEB banka, AS Citadele banka, and the Latvian branch of Luminor Bank AS.
Together with the ability for residents to withdraw cash, including through the critical ATM network, which will be replenished with cash as a priority, this solution enables residents to purchase the goods they need in a crisis situation.
The offline payment solution implemented in Latvia works in cases of communication disruptions. Since its introduction, the solution has already ensured the continuity of operations at retail outlets by enabling offline card payments using physical cards in the event of disruptions to internet or mobile communications.
The National Security Law establishes that the critical financial services that must be ensured in the event of a possible threat to national security are cash and non-cash payments provided by credit institutions, thereby ensuring the availability of financial resources to people in Latvia. Taking into account the National Security Law and the Regulation issued by Latvijas Banka, critical financial services in Latvia are provided by Swedbank AS, AS SEB banka, AS Citadele banka, and the Latvian branch of Luminor Bank AS.
To know how to act in a crisis situation, Latvijas Banka encourages all residents to familiarise themselves with the informational material "Learn about cash and other financial services in a situation of crisis".