When retrieving currency from a bank, effectively, that currency is taken outside their system. To fund retrieval, banknotes have to be in place. ATM's have a limited amount of currency in store. Banks themselves have limited amounts of banknotes on hand. In Europe, you often need a few days prior notice to retrieve more than 1000 €.  Some people have limited ability to retrieve money through ATM machines, because of the limits on their bank card, 300, 500, 1000.  In Greece, a country still hung up on cash payments, Locals were severly limited in the amounts they were able to retrieve: 50 € a day, while foreigners were able to retrieve their agreed upon limits.  Paying with bankcard is also limited to a 1000.  The only "unrestricted" way of moving money is through IBAN- transfer. That is intrabank. Meaning, these transfers are settled through book entries and reconciliation. Shortfalls, are solved by intrabank lending operations. The 08 crisis was exacerbated because intrabank lending stopped. Logically, this intrabank lending is subject to credit limits and risk evaluation from one bank to the next. If on Monday in France, enough people will retrieve their money, either at ATM's and over the counter, it will dry up liquidity @ the banks, which can be resupplied the next day. Given the fact, that overall, cash is in limited supply, this may cause calls upon resupply from other sources.  The ability to create credit for day to day operations will be impacted. The thing is: when people who have retrieved that money will start buying stuff with it, that is when that cash will end up in a bank again.  So, only retrieving is not enough to be successful. Retrieval and payment by bankcard/ transfer will eventually force the bank to resupply from other sources instead of the regular depositing of cash by BtC companies.  To make an even bigger impact, companies could decide to leave paying salaries by banktransfer and move to cash payments, so workers would only deposit what is needed to pay for necessities like rent, mortgage, electricity, local and state taxes.  If this is done well, Banque de France will have to put in a request for more cash. The ECB will be requiring further transfer of assets to cover the issuance of more cash. Or, the EMS bank will have to step in and require other Eurozone members to cough up, within 7 days, any demanded account without recourse. However, there are ways to counter this. One way to do that would be to prematurely limit the retrievable amount by putting a limit on ATM retrieval per account. This is a system setting and can be done immediately.  Emergency legislation could limit retrieval over the counter. A bank holiday would not impact payment ability of amounts owed in the system, that is regular intrabank reconciliation.  At any rate, I am going to retrieve some currency today, just to be on the safe side. There may be in Eurozone wide impact here later on in the week.