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THE WORLD IS going increasingly cashless but Ireland still has a few hang-ups in going completely digital with payments.
According to analysts at the research firm GlobalData, the new decade will see a lot of change with increasing uptake of cashless payments as some countries make greater strides than others.
The research said that e-commerce accounted for $3.5 trillion of worldwide sales in 2019 and forecasts which economies will be leaders in cashless payments by 2022.
Ireland ranked eighth overall in the research but GlobalData said it comes top for the frequency of use of payment cards.
Increasing card use and the advent of mobile payments and fintech apps have facilitated much of this rise.
The overall move away from cash has been made up of a mix of mobile and card payments in traditional bricks-and-mortar stores and online payments.
“We’re seeing massive investments in digital by the main financial institutions,” Eamonn Hughes, an analyst at Goodbody, said.
“One of the factors behind that is the whole transition in financial services and the interaction with people’s mobile phones and the capabilities of those phone getting better and better.”
Finland, which has a similar-sized population to Ireland, took the top spot in GlobalData’s research with South Korea, Norway, Sweden and China making up the rest of the top five.
These are all economies that have had strong early adoption rates when it comes to new technology.
The Nordic countries have seen a particularly vibrant uptake of digital payments with a Deloitte report from January 2019 predicting that at least one Nordic country will be “de facto” cashless in 2025 with limited use of paper money in the economy.
In Asia, its biggest economies like China have seen considerable adoption of digital payments with several major indigenous players while companies like PayPal, which recently acquired a Chinese payments firm, continue to push into the notoriously difficult market.
Challenges
There remain challenges in reaching widespread uptake, whether it’s the availability of digital payments in all businesses, protection from fraud, or concerns over privacy of transaction data.
Goodbody’s Hughes told Fora that while Ireland is “definitely headed down those roads” towards being cashless, there are still obstacles.
“It feels like it’s happening quickly but it’ll take a long time and I don’t know whether we end up completely cashless.”
One obstacle is having the relevant infrastructure in place, such as strong broadband up and down the country.
The systems run by banks and startups alike need to be robust in their deployment as well. Cash will often remain the back up when payment terminals and infrastructure fail – late last year both Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank suffered IT outages.
A cashless society would be a boon to the likes of card and payments giants Visa and Mastercard.
The former has previously lobbied for policy changes to mandate wider acceptance of digital payments.
In its budget submission last year, it called for mandating the acceptance of digital payments in taxis and on public transport – the National Transport Authority has plans in place to replace the Leap Card with cashless payments by 2027.
Meanwhile, Visa has repeatedly urged the introduction of a government-run merchants’ incentive scheme to help small businesses offset the costs of buying electronic payment equipment and carrying out training.
Another hurdle is more societal. The Dublin Mint Office carried out a survey last year that found people have some reservations about a largely cashless society.
It found that 67% of people said they would not like to do away with notes and coins and that 88% believe a cashless society will leave some people behind, such as the elderly, the homeless or small businesses that still rely on cash transactions.
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Written by Jonathan Keane and posted on Fora.ie
Maybe Slab could pay for them…
Oh boy
I see the journal hasn’t sorted out the thumbs hack yet.
Comrade Connolly, our comments should only receive green thumbs.
Lol ye when people red thumb the shinners it’s got to be a malfunction or a conspiracy.
Joe. I don’t know whether to red or green thumb now. But as I agree with you I’ll go green!!!!!
Joe, did you miss the bit where the YFGers were caught rapid sharing the code with each other to cheat the thumb count? Same kids that love to lecture folk about integrity.
Can you link is to that ‘caught rabid’ jamming?
It’s not a conspiracy Dane Joe it’s 100% fact
Jammin, you really are pathetic.
Maybe you’d like to comment on the story or perhaps that of the SF poster erected where Jonathan Corrie was found dead?
Or maybe you’d like to just continue with your spineless DDD every time SF are called to task on anything.
Super, can you provide proof of this 100% fact please?
Yes please enlighten us as to where you made this discovery! This should be good!! :D
There is a conspiracy against the Struggle.
@ Jason: I took a snap in case it was removed.
postimg.org/image/u4uiqxu55/
No political party should be doing this and should be fined the max for doing this.
“For Connolly” / Were Jammin / Shinnertroll has confirmed he/she works in IT.
Would explain how his/her merry band of shinnerbots are routinely sprayed with green thumbs.
Pretty sad really.
@were jamming, that’s a post from Johnny 5, can you provide proof that ‘thumbs’ were hacked in favour of government parties?
johnny five was a pro government shill, as was the person he was caught sharing it with. I think its reasonable to assume they were not passing around code to manipulate the thumb counts in order to green thumb left leaning commenters.
That’d be a no on the proof then?
I think its more to do with a unfavourable post red thumbed and then its a chain redaction by everyone else
There’s also the many instances of popular comments having an inordinate amount of red thumbs appear against them in a short amount of time, always from left leaning commenters. Its been mentioned many times. Happened to me dozens of times and is still happening.
Kind of sad that they disrespect people with their cheating. They’ll go a long way in FG.
“I think its more to do with a unfavourable post red thumbed and then its a chain redaction by everyone else”
PMSL! Course it is. Code to cheat posted by mistake. Left leaning commenters remarking on the thumb counts going to hell. Theres even a couple of fair minded right leaning commenters who remarked that it stank.
Jason he was spotted giving himself a substantial number of green thumbs with his post only been up less than a min. There simply wasnt enough people taking interest in the article for it to be genuine.. And besides the article had been up over an hour which means when he commented it should have been way down in the pile but funnily enough it wasnt.. And there loads of other examples
Do to have proof of your comment jamming?
Supernovae, as jamming says, link please?
I use my smartphone Jason, and it’s impossible to psychically show you him doing it. I didn’t screen save it or anything. And it’s not just me and for Connolly there was numerous people who said it and was very very obvious .. And no they weren’t “shinner bots”.. Look i couldn’t care less if you think were spoofing all I know is there certain people using the site (or were) that are very sad individuals.
Pot. Kettle. Black. Shinnertrolls.
Very sad individuals or just plain nut jobs
@ Jason: I was able to snap it happening to me one of the days.
http://postimg.org/image/6c8isy0nh/
As you can see, people were voting 11:1 green to red thumbs, then when I refreshed the page 7 minutes later it had changed to a majority of red thumbs.
There’s many other instances of it happening, always to left leaning commenters.
So, I ‘ve posted to a government shill account passing the code around to his mates, and a snap of one of the times extremely dubious thumbing appeared beside one of my comments.
I’ll leave the non government shill accounts to make up their own mind as to whats going on.
Incidentally lads, cheers for once again trying to spoof your way out of being caught rapid cheating. Its a great opportunity to post those images to show how utterly ethically bankrupt some of you are.
Even for you jammin this is a quite unbelievable effort to divert away from the issue at hand.
Noticed the thumb thing numerous times too. 50 green or red thumbs for a comment posted 1 minute ago.
It rampant Seamus, and always the pro government troll accounts.
Well you have posted proof so normal posters can see.
I think a lot more people than that think you, your comments and SF are sh@te. Your good at the auld self delusion though!
Actually Justin, I wear the fact that the little reich wingers around here have to manipulate my posts to make them seem less popular than they really are as a badge of honour.
I wouldn’t be getting your knickers in a twist over it.
Take Joe Mac C little witty comment about ink cartridges 2 hours ago. A couple of retorts all well commented on. Then the last few also from 2 hours ago have little or none.
Genuine question, has anybody had trouble with liking/disliking a comment in the past two days? I can like a comment but when I go back it is gone, I posted about this 4-5 hours ago.
Watersedge Ive had that problem from day one on here. Red and green thumbs both disappear when i refresh the page. Didnt say anything because most wouldnt believe me anyway being a shinner and all that.
FC i posted a comment on a story about the Gooch Cooper more than a year ago. Went to article 20 mins later, comment had about 120 green and 7 red. Logged onto some lad’s FB page for two minutes, came back to article and had about 140 red and maybe 10 green. I will never forget nor forgive the animal who did that to me.
Seamus, I emailed one of the authors on the journal and also the journal itself a few hours ago. No reply, a link to an Irish Times article was taken down on me within 2 minutes of being posted last week though for no reason. If I was banned, I would not be able to post so I don’t know if it is the journal or someone tampering with my account. I hope they email me back and let me know what the problem is.
Jammin, Supernova, Watersedge (and the other guys in SF/IRA headquarters) think that their comments are red thumbed due to a conspiracy. It would be difficult to get them to accepts that it is due to the rubbish they write.
I left a comment on the L’oreal Joan article 5 hours ago, long before this article came out. I don’t give two hoots how many likes/dislikes I get, it does not bother me one bit, that is not what I was posting about if you bothered to read my comment properly. It was about my ability to red/green thumb peoples comments which I cannot do.
People are always messing.
Shinnerbots doth protest too much.
20% support in the polls, but you won’t here them complaining when the Guy-who-thinks-he’s-James-Connolly manipulates the thumbs to pretend he has 90% support.
Lol.
At least his/her IT skills in SFHQ demonstrate we have a Digital Economy…
Or I’m sure they still have a few bob left over from the Northern Ireland Bank Robbery. Or better still, the ‘republican prisoners’ could forgo ordering in their takeaways etc for a little while, experience real prison life while paying off the fine.
I wonder how many ink cartridges were used in the making of these posters?
Mansion House the 07 Jan all welcome, thank you to the Journal for the Add.
Sinn Fein and the Provisional IRA have a right to celebrate their Rising.
For those of you that missed Joan doing a bit of snorkeling in Kilkenny here you go.
Every mirning
Morning evin
Dam fit fangers
10000 sterling should to to start with joe
Is that the same noel rock, that uses oireachtas stationary for his own private mail??
Its been proven time and time again rules and regulations are only for little people. In other words Don’t do as I do but do as I say.
Every time I see Gerry Adams I get a chill…CHILLING
I think in an era where people are extremely skeptical of politicians, you would think everyone would be sure to dot the i’s and cross the t’s but apparently nobody is concerned about making a good impression to the ordinary voter on the street. I do think these election poster stories are not that big a deal but at the end of the day the rules have been set out for a reason and by ignoring them just shows a lack of respect to the office they hold and the city they live in. Even for such a small thing like this, it just shows that they will still take advantage whenever possible. There’s a process in place so people should stick to it. We should bring in a culture where anyone in the workplace that utters the words “ah sure it’ll be grand” should be put on the first flight to anywhere and barred from ever returning. :-P
Did we ever figure out why SF thought it was appropriate to place a SF poster at the place where Jonathan Corrie died?
I would be more concerned about the people who were in power when the poor bloke froze to death, putting up posters there for their re-election, as they will no doubt be doing soon enough.
That’s 3 times you posted pretty much the same thing.in 10 minutes. Your concern is as sincere as a brazzers kiss.
So you guys don’t care about Jonathan Corrie.
More diversion tactics by FC.
Please answer the question Jammin. You’re attempts to DDD are really pathetic.
Pathetic MK. Leave the man to rest and stop political point scoring.
Eh, hate to ruin the clickbait fest, but the headline is incorrect. It is not an election poster. It is advertising an event.
Really a political poster for a national party less than 12 weeks from an election. I am sure this every had no benefit or chance of being used as a platform for the upcoming. Election
Lol. Even you don’t believe your own BS James Connolly.
Sure every public meeting organised by TD all the time are guilty of this so? Ine of FG ones recently very cleverly added a 1 as in a vote 1. Can’t remember who it was though.
All posters should be banned. Even during elections. A small booklet should be produced. One page per candidate and distributed within the constituency. Problem solved.
Cíanán – If you take the bother to examine the poster , it is not an Election Poster – It is advertising an Event next week in Dublin ?
Were you sent this by The Endapendent or by FG HQ ???
Eddie if you take the bother to read the article you’ll see he clearly states that it’s an advertise for an event.
Eddie if you take the time to read the story the posters are up 2 days earlier than legally permitted and they are littering Dublin City. And any political posters, leaflets at this time are all geared towards the upcoming election, if you think they are not you are very gullible
Jane why is it a story so?, more clickbait lucky there’s nothing else happening in the world!
If its for an event, why a picture of smiling Gerry ?
Jane the headline states that it is an election poster.
Jane read the headline. He clearly states “election posters” there.
Do you just read the headlines Brian?
A poster with Enda organising some “event” weeks before an election would rightly be called an election poster.
Comical Eddie, care to discuss why SF thought it was appropriate to put a SF poster up at the site of Jonathan Corrie’s death?
Sorry Eddie…it has all the hallmarks of an election poster….big head picture…big TD name….big party name…taking up half the poster.
Still littering Eddie, just saying!
“Endapendent”, good one!
MK. I have yo congratulate you on one of the most rediculous comments ever. Thomas indeed has a challenger.
I truly fear for this country.
There is by all accounts a law for us and a law for politicians
No laws for shinners.
When did the law of the land ever mean anything to SF/IRA..
SF/IRA run Dublin City Council so they can do what they like. The local councils are responsible for collecting the fines so that’s the end of that. Do the people want all posters banned? I see posters for car dismantling with their contact numbers all over Dublin all year round.
The city manager runs it not the councillors. Now since we have yet to have any comment from any of the councils maybe the silly politicians that are looking for brownie points should either shut up or make a formal complaint.
could you not come up with another line to start your rant with ,not very inventive the SF/ira mantra. ..It might also be wort your while checking out when FG had a majority in DCC,sure half of them thought they were members of the english royal family the way they behaved
It goes without saying that all parties should abide by the rules regarding the erecting of posters, however, it is a little ironic that a FG Councillor would berate another party for essentially doing what one of his own colleagues did only a number of days ago, except, instead of providing information regarding a ‘public’ event, instead erected posters to simply wish people a Merry Christmas.
The lad who ran 3 times in the blanchardstown area for FF and lost all 3 times who is now an independent,Also has posters up all over the place. Moany joan and Leo plus that FG senator have posters up advertising a meeting. Have yet to see any from SF/AAA.
Davy is the picture at the top of the page not loading for you?
Well.if you read my comments I mentioned the area of D15 that I have seen the likes of FG/Liebour posters and none of SF/AAA.
General election my a##. Why don’t we just cut out the middle man and vote in the German elections. Organ grinder and monkeys come to mind.
No floods in Louth then……
It’s €150 fine. But sure why would a politician bother with facts?
We should have a referendum on political party posters. Reckon about 80% myself included would vote to ban them. Sick of seeing their vainglorious mugs everywhere when there’s an election going on.
I wonder what would happen if a Dublin shop placed a ‘Sale’ sign on a lamp-post outside it”s premises, how long before the council tell them to remove it.
Fine any party that litters with this nonsense…sickening enough having to look at the heads of these gombeen politicians during election time.
Especially when you see the airbrushed heads on them.
Why do we even bother having an election rules if all the parties break them without any consequence?
It goes without saying that every party should follow the rules regarding the putting up of posters, it’s a little ironic that a FG Councillor would berate another party for essentially doing what a colleague of his own recently did herself, except, the erecting of her posters wasn’t to do publicising a ‘public’ event yet rather to wish people a Merry Christmas.
A poster is still a poster
Do these meetings even happen? Has anyone ever gone to a meeting advertised by a senator or councillor?
Now hang on a second, I despise Sinn Fein with most fibres of my rather large and overweight body, but all the parties and some of the Independents are at this. I’m all for having a go at Sinn Fein, but at least I’ll have a go at their past and their policies. This is a non event.
First World Problems
This littering law is obviously not working. Everywhere I drive in Dublin I see posters for “cash for cars” So the politicians might as well throw up a few posters of their own. The city looks Shite anyway. Dublin City Council have RAPED our once fine city.
Hold on, FG pulled the same stunt???!!!
http://www.thejournal.ie/stephanie-regan-christmas-posters-2523341-Dec2015/
What’s to say they won’t be taken down before the event?
have your say