Flashing the cash: Argentineans remain distrustful of the banking system after the 2001 economic crash,when a lot of people saw their life savings disappear. Many in the country avoid card payments and bank transfers, sticking to cash, which puts a large burden on a struggling system.There’s also widespread tax evasion – a vast black economy – with Argentineans preferring cash to avoid leaving financial traces.This makes it increasingly difficult for monetary authorities to judge how many coins and notes to circulate.
Mean machines: Although wider questions need to be asked about the Central Bank’s planning, Argentina’s minting authority, the Casa de la Moneda, is currently forced to rely on outdated machines from the 1970s that lack the capacity to print enough money to feed the national cash thirst. A share of peso production has even been farmed out to neighbouring Brazil.