All shops must offer cashless payments from January

All shops in Hungary must offer cashless payments from January 1, a government official noted in Wednesday's issue of Magyar Nemzet. Gabor Gion, a state secretary of the finance ministry, said the estimated 60,000 cash-only shops with an online cash register will have to accept bank cards, payments via mobile phones or money transfers. The new rules lawmakers passed on Friday are aimed at curbing the black economy, Gion said. Also, the costs of handling the "enormous amount of cash currently circulating in Hungary" will be reduced, he said, adding that there was a hygiene element in light of the virus situation.