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As the European Central Bank takes the final step towards eliminating the €500 tickets, few people are supposed to cry a bill privileged by criminals but rarely seen in everyday life.
Except maybe in Germany, who likes cash.
By Sunday, central banks in 17 of the 19 eurozone countries were due to stop issuing purple banknotes.
Only the German and Austrian central banks still hold until 26 April to "ensure a smooth transition," said the European Central Bank.
The medical technician Rolf, from the German city of Marburg, said it was "difficult to accept" the disappearance of the highest note of the single currency.
A stone's throw from Frankfurt's blue and yellow euro carving after a meeting in the city, the 61-year-old said he had made a point of paying his car to €500 notes.
"I prefer to use cash for big payments, it does not mean I'm involved in something fishy," said Rolf, refusing to give his last name.
The ECB's decision to terminate the issue of banknotes will result in fewer and fewer outstanding securities as commercial banks return them to their country's central banks, where they will be replaced by low-value bills. nominal.
But whoever accumulates €500 tickets under their mattress do not have to worry, all existing bills being legal tender.
"They can continue to be used for spending or saving, and they will always retain their value," said ECB spokeswoman Eva Taylor.
the €500 notes represented only 2.3% of all euro banknotes in circulation last month.
The death sentence of the bank note was signed in 2016 when the ECB officially halted its production, fearing to be "facilitated by illegal activities" after research has linked its use to money laundering. money, tax evasion and the financing of terrorism.
Nicknamed sometimes "bin Laden", the note has proved to be a compact way to carry illicit money.
One million euros in €500 tickets weigh only 2.2 kg and fit easily into a laptop bag.
The same amount, expressed in US dollars, the highest denomination of the US currency, would weigh nearly six times more and would require a much larger fund.
While the plan to slowly kill the €500 tickets making little waves abroad, it sparked an emotional debate in Germany where many feared that this is a prelude to the total elimination of cash.
Jens Weidmann, head of the powerful central bank of the Bundesbank, said that removing the bill would do little to fight crime, but could "undermine confidence" in the single currency.
Critics also said that this decision would make it harder and more expensive for banks to physically store large amounts of money in order to avoid negative interest rates.
The ECB's deposit rate is currently at least 0.4%, which means that banks pay to keep surplus funds at the Frankfurt institution.
When the euro was created two decades ago, Germany was keen to €500 tickets as the nearest equivalent of his valuable 1,000 Deutsche Mark.
But even in the first European economy, where privacy is expensive and money is king, €The 500 bill is no more used than in other countries and will not be missed at all.
Suzanne Spenner, a 50-year-old nanny based in Frankfurt, told her experience that the slightly oversized note – a clumsy fit in most portfolios – was hard to eliminate.
"They would not take it to the stores. I do not need it.
A study conducted by the Bundesbank in 2017 revealed that more than 60% of Germans had processed the 500 euro note at least once, often as a gift, as a means of storing money or paying wholesale purchases.
In the eurozone, the ECB said "more people than we think often use high-rated banknotes".
In a large 2015-2016 ECB survey, nearly 20% of respondents in the euro area said they had treated €200 or €500 tickets the previous year.
Lucia Bbading, owner of an upscale store selling beds and mattresses in Frankfurt, said card payments were on the rise, it was not unusual for customers to pay €3000 beds in €500 bills.
"Personally, I do not like to wear a €500 notes on me, so I will not miss them, "said the 49-year-old.
"But I'm always happy to accept them from customers."
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