Η Sweden starts the transition to cold currency e-Krona, as from 2023 cash will not be accepted as a means of payment.
The Central Bank of Sweden is testing the world's first digital central bank currency. The e-krona cryptocurrency will be simple and user friendly and will be tested in an isolated environment. Thus, e-Krona is expected to accelerate the country's transition to a cashless society.
As already announced, from 24 March 2023, cash will not be accepted as a means of payment in Sweden. Of course coins and notes won't disappear, but no one will be able to use them and they will end up as collectibles.eyea in museum collections.
In Sweden, card payments account for 58% of transactions, and only 6% are made in cash. 80% of Swedes have a card in their possession, as banks issue debit cards to citizens over the age of seven, of course with parental consent.
Sweden uses the krona as its natural currency, not the euro. Cash management is extremely expensive for the country due to high security systems. At the same time the entire population of Sweden has mobile coverage and in recent years, almost all purchases are made electronically: via debit / credit card using chip and Pin and via technology contactless transactions.
Targeting cards as the sole means of trading is also observed in other Nordic countries, such as Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. Both banks and governments are encouraging citizens to adopt a cashless economy.
Another reason why Sweden is abolishing cash is the fact that bank robberies, drug and arms trafficking and other illegal transactions are significantly reduced.