The rounding rule that started to apply at the start of this year for purchases paid in cash in points of sale brought 5.3 million one and two-cent coins to the central bank in January, which is ten times as many as usual. Because merchants no longer need the small coins for change, they are gradually pulling them out of circulation and so the coins are making their way back to Eesti Pank. The central bank is using the small coins to supply other countries in the euro area where they are still needed for making change.

“It was expected that the central bank would receive about ten times as many small coins as usual, as the same happened in other countries in the euro area where the rounding rule was introduced earlier”, said Rait Roosve, Head of the Cash and Infrastructure Department at Eesti Pank. The large-scale return of one and two-cent coins should only be temporary and should end soon, as people use them less and less for paying with. Once shops no longer need them for making change, they will in future find their way back to the central bank.

Mr Roosve said that the leap in the number of coins being returned showed that the transition to the rounding rule had happened smoothly as planned, and the good preparation and awareness of shops played a critical role in that success. “We would like to thank all of the businesses that had to make preparations for the introduction of the rounding rule, with technical updates, training for staff and explanations for clients. The change has been made smoothly and this is particularly thanks to the efforts of the merchants”. He added that people may have been using one and two-cent coins more for paying with at the start of the year and so put additional pressure on cash tills, but this should happen less and less in the long term, and so the costs for shopkeepers of handling the coins will also fall.

Nele Peil, head of the Estonian Traders Association, said that the logic of the rounding rule had been made clear to trading companies, and they had received good support from Eesti Pank and other state institutions. “The guidance materials made in cooperation with Eesti Pank, the radio adverts and the background information aimed at retailers have all been very helpful. It has helped shopkeepers inform people in Estonia about what the change means, and set their software and processes up correctly. The flexibility that the state has allowed has been important in this, so that the rules were manageable both for large shops and also for simple traders in markets”, she said.

Liisi Vaik, marketing director of the Coop chain of shops across Estonia, said that the introduction of the rounding rule was discussed in shops and in the media in enough time for people in Estonia to get used to it. “There are Coop shops in a lot of places in Estonia, and the majority of them work in rural places where regional associations know the local situation very well. The feedback we have received is that clients were very understanding about the change, and the whole process went smoothly”, she said.

Merike Koppel, head of the business department at the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, added that “the number of times we have been contacted about the introduction of the rounding rule shows that the transition has been very smooth, as we have had only a few individual questions or complaints. It is important for consumer protection that consumers are told clearly how the final price of their basket of shopping is set and about the rounding. We are not aware of any notable problems with this, and retailers have been very accommodating”.

What is the rounding rule?

The rounding rule started to apply in Estonia from 1 January 2025 and it states that when a customer pays in cash, the seller rounds the final price of the basket of shopping upwards or downwards to the nearest five cents. The rounding rule means that shopkeepers no longer need to give out one and two-cent coins as change. Shoppers still have the right to pay with one and two-cent coins even for the rounded amounts, as all of the euro cent coins remain legal tender. For more see the Eesti Pank website.

Additional information:
Hanna Jürgenson
Communications Specialist
Eesti Pank
Tel: 5692 0930
Press enquiries: [email protected]