The Slovenian government has approved a proposal that would give citizens receiving salaries, pensions, scholarships or other regular income access to free bank accounts, including debit cards and online banking.
The proposal also requires at least one cash withdrawal point in every municipality. The legislation must still be approved by the Slovenian Parliament before it can take effect.
Under the proposed rules, shops and other service providers would generally be required to accept cash and offer at least one electronic payment method, subject to certain exceptions.
Banks and other credit institutions would also have to ensure that at least 95% of residents have access to an ATM or another cash withdrawal point within five kilometers by road from the center of their settlement. At the end of 2025, this level of accessibility stood at 91%, according to the Slovenian newspaper Dnevnik.
Slovenia incorporated the right to use cash into its Constitution in December 2025. The new proposal would go further by providing pensioners and vulnerable groups with a broader package of free banking transactions.
The Slovenian Banking Association supports maintaining access to cash but has warned about the costs of operating ATM networks and providing free services. During public consultations, banks also raised the possibility of challenging parts of the legislation on constitutional grounds, according to 24ur.
How does the situation compare in Macedonia?
North Macedonia already has a basic payment account system, with legislation limiting the monthly fee to 0.1% of the average net salary over the previous 12 months.
Certain groups, including recipients of social assistance, child allowances and student scholarships, are entitled to basic banking services free of charge.
Customers who meet the requirements can also request that their existing account be converted into a basic payment account at the same bank, without charge and while retaining their existing account number.
However, banking fees still differ between institutions. According to published tariffs, NLB Banka has charged 50 denars per month for a regular denar account with transactions since October 1, while its basic payment account is free.
Komercijalna Banka’s published tariff lists a monthly fee of 40 denars for a regular account with transactions and 25 denars for a basic payment account.
Transfers to other banks and cash withdrawals from another bank’s ATM may incur additional charges.
ATM accessibility remains a challenge
At the end of 2025, Macedonia had 1,132 ATMs, up from 1,041 a year earlier.
However, figures from the end of 2024 reveal significant differences in their geographical distribution. The Skopje municipality of Centar had 243 ATMs, while Zelenikovo and Sopishte had none.
The Slovenian proposal introduces a different way of measuring access to cash. Rather than looking only at the total number of ATMs, it would assess how many residents can reach a cash withdrawal point within five kilometers.
Such an approach could provide a more accurate picture of banking accessibility, particularly for people living in smaller municipalities and rural communities.
