E‐cash issues: electronic cash is not just about technology

Abstract

Discusses the limitations of cash as a means of exchange and looks to the digital networks of the future to exploit the new technologies of e‐cash. Highlights the convenience and increasingly widespread use of digital money in business‐to‐consumer and business‐to‐business transactions. The emzergence of common standards and pilot projects on a variety of Internet‐based payment mechanisms by companies such as IBM, Digital, Barclays and Unisource is considered. Looks at the social issues surrounding digital money and the impact of lowering the entry costs in the money business. Options for domain regulation of fiat and private currencies are discussed, concluding that the central issue rests on whether government or the market controls the issuing of e‐cash.

Citation

Birch, D. (1999), "E‐cash issues: electronic cash is not just about technology", European Business Review, Vol. 99 No. 4, pp. 211-218. https://doi.org/10.1108/09555349910281388