Switzerland Introduces Law Requiring Citizens to Carry Minimum of €100 at All Times

In a move that has left economists baffled and everyone else slightly intimidated, Switzerland has passed a controversial new “Vagrancy Prevention Act” requiring all adult citizens to carry at least €100 in cash on their person at all times. Officials claim the law aims to “preserve the nation’s image of quiet affluence and prevent spontaneous outbreaks of visible modesty.”

Under the new legislation, police officers are authorised to conduct “wallet checks” at random. Anyone found carrying less than the required sum will reportedly be issued a polite warning and a laminated leaflet titled Financial Shame: A Swiss Guide to Self-Respect. Repeat offenders may face fines of up to €500 or, in extreme cases, be offered “mandatory brunch with a banker.”

The law’s preamble insists that “no Swiss citizen should appear unprepared to tip a waiter, purchase a pastry, or discreetly flee to Monaco if required.” The government calls the initiative “a matter of national dignity,” with Finance Minister Klaus Brenner stating, “If you are seen with less than €100, how will people know you’re Swiss and not just visiting from Germany?”

The public reaction has been predictably divided. Some citizens support the move, claiming it protects Switzerland’s reputation as “the world’s most financially secure mountain.” Others call it absurdly elitist. “I don’t even have pockets in these jeans,” complained one Zurich student. “I’ll have to glue a note to my phone case.”

Tourists are equally confused. A baffled backpacker from Leeds told The Daily Edition: “I tried to pay for a hot chocolate with my debit card and got a lecture about the death of civilisation. It’s like being fined for using contactless feelings.”

Opponents of the law argue it’s discriminatory toward the young and the cashless. A grassroots movement calling itself Coinless but Proud has begun protesting in major cities, waving empty wallets and chanting, “We may be broke, but we’re digital!”

Still, early signs suggest compliance is high. Sales of luxury money clips have soared, and at least one Swiss bank has launched an app that alerts users when their on-person funds dip below €100, complete with a gentle yodel notification.

As one government official summarised: “We are not punishing poverty — we are preventing the aesthetic of it.”