How COVID-19 is fast driving Australia towards a cashless society

2 min read | October 05, 2021 12:34 AM EDT | By Ashish

Highlights

  • Australia is expected to become completely cashless in the coming 10 years as the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the phasing out of physical currency.
  • Of the 25 experts surveyed, more than half (56%) said that the country was all set to be fully cashless by 2031.
  • According to October’s Finder RBA Cash Rate Survey™, 89% out of 28 respondents were of the view that the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated the fall of paper money.

Australia is expected to become completely cashless in the coming 10 years as the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the phasing out of physical currency, according to a survey. Of the 25 experts surveyed, more than half (56%) said that the country was all set to be fully cashless by 2031.

According to October’s Finder RBA Cash Rate Survey™, 89% out of 28 respondents were of the view that COVID-19 had accelerated the fall of paper money.

As per the comparison website, Finder’s analysis of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) data, the number of ATM withdrawals has declined by 65% with its peak in December 2008.

In a separate survey of 1,015 Australians, Finder also found that 40% of people were using less cash than this time the previous year.

COVID-19 has accelerated the fall of paper money.

Image Source: ©Ximagination | Megapixl.com

Paper money’s lifespan is shortening, and cash-only businesses are few and far between, said the head of consumer research at Finder Graham Cooke. These businesses are expected to get even rarer," Cooke added.

A few years ago, Finder had predicted a cashless society in Australia by 2036.

Survey on RBA rate cut

Meanwhile, all panellists (39/39) expect a cash rate hold in October, while 77% expect the rate to remain stagnant until 2023 at 0.10%.

RBA will announce its decision on monetary policy on Tuesday. Market participants expect the central bank to have an on-hold stance. According to them, the RBA may not bring about any changes to the cash rate and financial facilities programs. The RBA had already reduced the weekly bond-buying to AU$4 billion. In today’s meeting, the focus of market participants would be on how policymakers evaluate economic performance.

RELATED ARTICLE: Which companies do accept Dogecoin as payment?

RELATED ARTICLE: 7 ASX food & beverage stocks under $1 to satiate your investment appetite

RELATED ARTICLE: Four ASX healthcare stocks to explore in 2021 if you're under 20


Disclaimer

The content, including but not limited to any articles, news, quotes, information, data, text, reports, ratings, opinions, images, photos, graphics, graphs, charts, animations and video (Content) is a service of Kalkine Media Incorporated (Kalkine Media), Business Number: 720744275BC0001 and is available for personal and non-commercial use only. The advice given by Kalkine Media through its Content is general information only and it does not take into account the user’s personal investment objectives, financial situation and specific needs. Users should make their own enquiries about any investment and Kalkine Media strongly suggests the users to seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice), as necessary. Kalkine Media is not registered as an investment adviser in Canada under either the provincial or territorial Securities Acts. Some of the Content on this website may be sponsored/non-sponsored, as applicable, however, on the date of publication of any such Content, none of the employees and/or associates of Kalkine Media hold positions in any of the stocks covered by Kalkine Media through its Content. Kalkine Media hereby disclaims any and all the liabilities to any user for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising from any use of the Content on this website, which is provided without warranties. The views expressed in the Content by the guests, if any, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kalkine Media. Some of the images/music that may be used in the Content are copyright to their respective owner(s). Kalkine Media does not claim ownership of any of the pictures displayed/music used in the Content unless stated otherwise. The images/music that may be used in the Content are taken from various sources on the internet, including paid subscriptions or are believed to be in public domain. We have used reasonable efforts to accredit the source wherever it was indicated or was found to be necessary.


We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.