The Reserve Bank is hoping to give small towns greater access to cash as part of a new trial

They will be paying retailers in areas with few or no ATMs and banks to handle cash deposits.

Reserve Bank Money and Cash Director Ian Woolford says cash use has plummeted since 2019 but there's still important uses like during disasters.

He says the bank is searching for trial applicants, and believes there will be plenty to choose from.

Woolford says there are about 100 towns with populations between one thousand and ten thousand, and half of them are under serviced.