NOTES FROM A CASHLESS SOCIETY

Just one in eight Britons now use cash daily, with that number expected to halve by 2033. But, as Nordic countries rethink their reliance on digital currency amid a rise in digital warfare and cyber attacks, what are the consequences of raising a contactless generation?

- By Toby Codd

CARD-ONLY payments are a convenience to some and a barrier to others. But as we evolve into an increasingly digital world, it might not be as simple a case of young versus old when it comes to society’s winners and losers.

According to recent statistics from personal finance website Finder, one in 10 Brits no longer use cash. Meanwhile, just one in eight people use physical currency every day. While these figures may seem stark for UK residents, life without cash is far more prominent in Nordic countries. Both Sweden and Norway have the lowest amounts of cash in circulation globally.

However, following a brief but determined move towards a cashless society, both nations are now re-emphasising the need for legal tender to prevent financial exclusion and to safeguard against potential cyber attacks — many of which are carried out by hacker experts working for Vladimir Putin.

In Norway, legislation introduced last year means businesses can now be fined for not accepting bank notes or coins. The government also urges people to carry physical currency due to the “vulnerabilities of digital payment solutions to cyber attacks”.

Over in Sweden, physical cash is making a comeback, too. Niklas Arvidsson, associate professor at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and author of Building a Cashless Society, says the shift towards a digital-only transaction culture in his country was halted abruptly following an investigation by its Central Bank two years ago.

“It's a reaction to what has happened in Ukraine and the ongoing war,” he tells the Daily Express. “People without cash are more vulnerable to cyber attacks.

“If there are cyber attacks on electronic payment systems, cash is the only backup and alternative.”