Free Republic

China, the nation that introduced the world to banknotes, is now setting the pace in the competition to become the first cashless society. Already by 2017, more than three-quarters of Chinese people were using digital payments in preference to cash, and the number was rising fast. Now, the central bank and other financial authorities have announced they want to spread the benefits of going cashless to the four out of 10 people in China who still live in rural areas. The focus on agricultural communities will put a further dent in the perception that electronic payments are the preserve of...