Lines, tokens, and money brokers: Myanmar's crumbling economy runs low on cash

Rappler

REUTERS

MAY 16, 2021 

The cash crisis is one of the most pressing problems for the people of Myanmar after the February 1 military coup

If you need cash in Myanmar, you have to get up early. Queues start forming outside banks at 4 am, where the first 15 or 30 customers are given a plastic token that will allow them to enter the bank when it opens at 9:30 am and withdraw cash, according to more than a dozen people who spoke to Reuters.

If you do not get a token, you either have to queue for hours for the few functioning cash dispensing machines outside or go to black-market brokers who charge big commissions.

The cash crisis is one of the most pressing problems for the people of Myanmar after the February 1 military coup. The central bank, now run by a junta appointee, has not returned some of the reserves it holds for private banks, without giving any reason, leaving the banks short of cash.