More than half a million Austrians have signed a petition calling for a referendum on the constitutional enshrining of the right to unlimited cash payments. In a country of 8.9 million, the massive show of support for the "right" to pay with cash demonstrates the growing movement against digital currencies promoted by central banks across the world and institutions like the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The deadline for submission of petitions regarding proposals for seven national referendums ended on Monday. As reported by the Austrian daily Kurier, the right to cash payments received the most support of seven different petitions, with 530,938 Austrians signing it.

Only petitions that receive the signatures of 100,000 citizens or more can force a debate in parliament on the topic. Given the overwhelming support behind the "right to cash" petition, there may be strong pressure to move forward with an effort to secure cash payments in the country.