Digital Panic as AWS Failure Cripples Spain
The digital world was thrown into panic on October 20, 2025. What began as a widespread outage affecting Amazon Web Services (AWS)—taking down giants like Canva, Duolingo, Fortnite, and Prime Video—escalated into a critical situation for Spain: a complete paralysis of the national payment systems. Businesses, restaurants, and all manner of establishments were abruptly forced back into the age of cash, as the massive failure of card terminals (TPV) turned everyday shopping into a logistical nightmare.
The Cash-Only Reality Hits the Streets
The scene repeated itself on the streets of major cities: long queues and palpable frustration as customers found themselves unable to pay with cards or mobile phones. “We only accept cash” became the most-heard phrase in shops throughout the morning. Market sources confirmed the incident had spread to the very heart of the financial system, with major entities like CaixaBank and Santander, as well as Visa operations and the popular instant transfer service Bizum, experiencing serious operational failures.
The Root of the Problem: A Dangerous Dependence
The cause of this chaos lies in the high dependence of Spain’s payment infrastructure on Amazon’s cloud. This banking and commercial meltdown underscores a deeper, structural weakness in Europe’s technological sovereignty. The AWS outage highlights, once again, that Europe “still has no Plan B” for its reliance on foreign tech giants. A staggering 90% of European cloud-hosted data is managed by US companies. When these systems fail, the impact is no longer confined to entertainment or education, but strikes at the very foundation of the economy: financial transactions.
The Economic and Security Cost of Lost Sovereignty
Beyond the inconvenience for consumers, this situation represents a direct economic hemorrhage for thousands of small businesses and self-employed workers. “The lack of sovereignty means millions of euros in losses and paralyzed activity,” emphasized Sancho Lerena, CEO of IT management firm Pandora FMS. The failure of card terminals, Bizum, and major bank cards is the most tangible proof of the economic and cybersecurity cost of this dependency. In a complex geopolitical context, this lack of control over continental digital infrastructure also “weakens cybersecurity,” creating vulnerabilities that extend far beyond a single day’s disruption.
A Gradual Recovery Amidst Economic Emergency
While the Spanish Banking Association (AEB) and other bodies awaited an official statement, the restoration of AWS service became a top-level emergency for Spain’s economic stability. According to various media reports, the company declared the incident resolved after four hours, though the full recovery of all services was expected to be gradual, offering little immediate relief to a nation temporarily unplugged from its digital lifeblood.
