ALVARA Blog

Personnel costs, cost of goods and procurement, rent for retail space, energy management, marketing activities: when it comes to cost optimization in retail, decision-makers often focus on these areas. But the list is incomplete. Anyone looking to save money should also keep an eye on processes - especially cash management.

Since 2024, ALVARA has been part of the YUVENDA Group and thus part of a strong European network for software solutions in retail, gastronomy, and consumer-oriented services. This merger has unlocked cross-industry synergies for us. The biggest advantage is clear: we grow together. This was once again demonstrated at this year’s YUVENDA Get-together in March.

Faster, simpler, and more efficient cash processes should not remain a wishful thinking in retail. Those who continue to rely on manual processes tie up unnecessary resources, struggle to maintain oversight, leave room for errors, and ultimately generate additional costs. The good news: there is already a solution that delivers exactly that: Interactive Cash Control.

Over the course of the year, our team experiences a variety of highlights. Exciting customer projects, new product developments and enhancements, and newly established business partnerships are just three examples. However, one event is always at the very top – and firmly set: our BargeldDialog Retail. For the 19th time, we are delighted to invite our customers and interested parties from the retail sector to come together and engage in discussion.

When an ATM goes out of service, a time-consuming and inefficient process often begins: phone calls, emails, follow-ups. Information is passed on multiple times, sometimes incomplete, sometimes delayed. The responsible service provider is notified, has to ask follow-up questions, prioritize, and schedule resources. Valuable time passes before it is clear who will do what and when. Meanwhile, the machine remains out of order. With digital incident management, this would quickly change.

Have you ever wondered whether cash can do more? Gerrit Stehle has asked himself this question in depth and answers it today with a confident “Yes, absolutely!” Thanks to the individual serial numbers, banknotes can be used for investigations, plausibility checks, and the analysis of cash flows. In this interview, we speak with the CEO of Elephant & Castle IP GmbH about how a digital inventory of serial numbers works in practice, what opportunities the technology offers, and whether existing data protection concerns are actually justified.

Every banknote has one. It is unique and consists of two letters and a ten-digit number sequence. We are talking about the serial number, which is located in the upper right corner on the reverse side. Those who know how to read it can determine which central bank commissioned the printing. But it is not only its origin that can be traced this way. The key term is digital inventory. This article provides an initial overview of what this can achieve, what it explicitly does not capture, and which meaningful use cases serial numbers offer as individual identifiers.

The holidays are over, everyday life is slowly returning. And there is time to take a deeper look at the new year. Are new trends emerging? Is swift action required to avoid falling behind the competition right at the start of the year? We have summarized what 2026 has in store for cash management.

Cash Is Changing – and so are all industries involved in the cash cycle. Topics such as digitalization, increasing regulation, and structural shifts are shaping the market. As a result, many cash-in-transit and value service providers are asking themselves how they can remain competitive and, if necessary, reposition themselves. At the turn of the year, we spoke with Dr. Markus Lehnert, Managing Director of BS Beck Sicherheitsdienst GmbH & Co. KG. His outlook for 2026: positive!

“Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how green your branches!” Before we say goodbye to gather beneath the sparkling Christmas tree with family and friends, let’s pause for a moment and look back on the year. After all, 2025 has gifted us many wonderful moments.