The exchange of money for goods and services is a pillar of societies and economies worldwide. Given this pivotal role, payments should be usable by all, at no extra cost. While this seems like common sense, many cashless options tick neither box, while the use of cash—which ticks both—is being discouraged.
Tristan Dissaux, a socio-economics researcher at Belgium’s Université Libre de Bruxelles, recently explored this issue in an article for The Conversation. He opens by noting that while individually, there are advantages to increasing payment digitisation, it ‘does not necessarily translate into a vision of a desirable future for society as a whole.’
