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{{About|the concept of a society which no longer uses [[cash]]|the Southern African band|Cashless Society (band)|the Cashless India Initiative|Cashless Transaction (India)}}

A '''cashless society''' describes an economic state whereby [[financial transaction]]s are not conducted with money in the form of physical [[banknote]]s or coins, but rather through the transfer of digital information (usually an electronic representation of money) between the transacting parties.<ref name="THE COST OF CASH IN THE UNITED STATES">{{cite web|url=http://fletcher.tufts.edu/CostofCash/~/media/Fletcher/Microsites/Cost%20of%20Cash/CostofCashStudyFinal.pdf|publisher=The Fletcher School Tufts University |title=THE COST OF CASH IN THE UNITED STATES|page=9 |accessdate=17 December 2016}}</ref> Cashless societies have existed, based on [[barter]] and other methods of exchange, and cashless transactions have also become possible using [[digital currencies]] such as [[bitcoin]]. However this article discusses and focuses on the term "cashless society" in the sense of a move towards, and implications of, a society where cash is replaced by its [[digital currency|digital equivalent]] - in other words, [[legal tender]] (money) exists, is recorded, and is exchanged only in electronic digital form.

Such a concept has been discussed widely, particularly because the world is experiencing a rapid and increasing use of digital methods of recording, managing, and exchanging money in [[commerce]], [[investment banking|investment]] and daily life in many parts of the world, and transactions which would historically have been undertaken with cash are often now undertaken electronically.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jun/04/sweden-cashless-society-cards-phone-apps-leading-europe https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jun/04/sweden-cashless-society-cards-phone-apps-leading-europe]</ref><ref name="uk-cashless">[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uk-moves-towards-cashless-society-10267215.html UK moves towards cashless society]</ref> Some countries now set limits on transactions and transaction values for which non-electronic payment may be legally used.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cashless-society.org/|title=Cashless-Society.org|website=Cashless-Society.org|access-date=2017-01-27}}</ref>

The trend towards use of non-cash transactions and settlement began in daily life during the 1990s, when electronic banking became popular. By the 2010s digital payment methods were widespread in many countries, with examples including intermediaries such as [[Paypal]], [[digital wallet]] systems operated by companies like [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], contactless and [[Near field communication|NFC]] payments by electronic card or [[smartphone]], and electronic bills and banking, all in widespread use.<ref name="uk-cashless" /> By the 2010s cash had become actively disfavored in some kinds of transaction which would historically have been very ordinary to pay with physical tender, and larger cash amounts were in some situations treated with suspicion, due to its versatility and ease of use in [[money laundering]] and [[financing of terrorism]], and actively prohibited by some suppliers and retailers,<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2016/09/04/cash-cashless-society-credit-cards/89726644/  A cashless society? Some retailers turn noses up at currency]</ref> to the point of coining the expression of a "war on cash".<ref>[https://professorwerner.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/negative-interest-rates-and-the-war-on-cash Negative Interest Rates and the War on Cash]</ref> By 2016 in the UK it is now reported that 1 in 7 people no longer carries or use cash.<ref name=TheSun001>{{cite web|url=https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2034280/one-in-seven-brits-no-longer-carries-cash-as-we-become-increasingly-reliant-on-card-and-smartphone-payments/|author=Alex West |publisher=The Sun |website=thesun.co.uk |title=One in seven Brits no longer carries cash, as we become increasingly reliant on card and smartphone payments |date=23 October 2016 |accessdate=12 November 2016}}</ref>

It has also been described as a highly controversial and at times a "sinister" or "creepy" move,<ref name="bloomberg1">[https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-10-14/the-cashless-society-is-a-creepy-fantasy The Cashless Society Is a Creepy Fantasy]</ref><ref>[http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/08/the_sinister_side_of_a_cashless_society.html The Sinister Side of a Cashless Society]</ref> since such a move would be both potentially useful and potentially socially dangerous, with widespread implications for society. It has potential to be very helpful for central governments and economies, in the context of global [[negative inflation]] and [[quantative easing]], and central control of the [[money supply]]. However a loss of cash also transfers complete control of transactions, interest, and individual use of money, and information about these, to the [[nation state]] and third party providers, since the individual cannot avoid their money being held in an external system capable of regulation and control. Many countries have regulated, restricted, or banned private digital currencies such as [[Legality of bitcoin by country|Bitcoin]]. While helpful to the global economy and to the fight against crime and terrorism,<ref>[http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-sinister-side-of-cash-1472137692 The Sinister Side of Cash]</ref> many concerns have been raised over "dangerous" [[unintended consequences]].<ref>[https://www.fastcoexist.com/3056736/what-happens-when-we-become-a-cashless-society What Happens When We Become A Cashless Society?]</ref> It would mean that negative interest rates can be fully enforced, and money could be controlled in great detail. For example, some kinds of money might be set to "expire" and be worthless if not spent in specific ways or by specific times, or to devalue gradually. It also makes individual savings, and information about individual incomes and transactions, accessible to any party able to access the records - either legitimately (police and tax related) or not (hackers and persons with access to the relevant data), and in this way, it facilitates [[mass surveillance|population surveillance]].<ref>[http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2016/02/economics-professor-negative-interest-rates-aimed-driving-small-banks-business-eliminating-cash.html Economics Professor: Negative Interest Rates Aimed at Driving Small Banks Out of Business and Eliminating Cash]</ref> It also means that groups, individuals and causes could be deprived of cash by the simple expedient of preventing their access to cashless transaction media.<ref name="bloomberg1" />

== See also ==
* [[Global economy]]
* [[Digital currency]]
* [[Legal tender]]
* [[Mass surveillance]]
* [[Cheque#Declining use]]

==References ==
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[[:Kategorie:Cashless society| ]]
[[:Kategorie:International finance]]