CTV: [2] A group of U.K. lawmakers said on Friday as much as £50 billion (US$67.4 billion) in cash was “missing,” and it urged the Bank of England to investigate. [3] The money is “stashed somewhere but the Bank of England doesn’t know where, who by or what for — and doesn’t seem very curious,” Meg Hillier, chair of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which oversees government finances, said in a statement. “It needs to be more concerned about where the missing £50 billion is,” she added. [4] The Bank of England immediately pushed back. “Members of the public do not have to explain to the Bank why they wish to hold banknotes. This means that banknotes are not missing,” a spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the central bank would continue to meet public demand for notes. [5] Despite the increased use of digital payments, demand for cash has risen in most advanced economies since the global financial crisis, according to a 2018 report by the Bank for International Settlements.
This has been partly driven by lower interest rates, the report said, which have diminished returns on savings held with banks.