By Walter Sorochan Posted December 16, 2015; updated November 15, 2021. Money, Money, Money! Money is the cause of all evil! Is this really true? Well, the evil is not really money in itself. It is what we do with money that leads to bad situations. For example: some persons steal money while others go into debt by spending more than they earn. It is not just people who end up with money problems but also governments and countries as well. Money is just one way of paying for services or products. Before money was invented, people used barter as a way of paying for good and services. Bartering in Roman times happened when a poor person paid a physician with a chicken or eggs or labor instead of coins for equal services. Money, like ancient silver coins and gold was an invented to replace bartering. Today, there is a new monetary invention to replace paper money and banking. The country of Kenya is using cell phones and an electronic system of money referred to as cedi. This article, based on a 60 minute report by Leslie Stahl, explains this new way of money management. You can view the video below: Video: The Future of Money by Leslie Stahl 60 mns Approx 20 mns: Commentary: Kenya's cedi system uses modified cell phones that creates a cashless electronic society. The system transacts payments, banking and loans without banks, bank clerks and loan officers as we know today. The iphones have been modified to work with an internet system. There is no cash money, no community banks or bank transactions and no middle men expenses. Instead, 90% of the people have a mobile iphone that is their money, bank, checkbook and that also eliminates bank service payments. The people of Kenya like the simplified system that simplifies their lives. This video about Kenya's new money system illustrates all this. Kenya's cashless system is important because it may be a forecast of what may happen to the American dollar-money cash system and perhaps the global monetary-banking system. There is movement to eliminate cash and paper money! Other African countries are also considering some form of a cashless monetary system. "Electronic Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-PPAN) said they were working to address the regulatory and administrative loopholes discovered in the implementation of the cashless policy, especially the pilot phase in Lagos." Leadership: Nigeria cashless society 2012 Denmark, with its Scandinavian neighbors Norway and Sweden, is leading the global trend toward electronic money. The Danish government has proposed that most stores could dump their cash registers as of January 2016. Harrison: Denmark cashless 2015
The government of United States is considering using a form of electronic credit card transaction to monitor all money activities. The federal argument for such a monetary scheme is to trace money laundering, fraud, bank deposits and other money transactions. In such a system, big brother would be able to trace how, when and where you spend every penny; and we would still have the existing banking system. Supposedly, such a money system would provide money security. US Gov't: Assets control References: US Federal Government, "BANK SECRECY ACT, ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING, AND OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL Section 8.1," DSC Risk Management Manual of Examination Policies 8.1-1 Bank Secrecy Act (12-04). Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. US Gov't: Assets control Giambruno Nick, "The World’s First Cashless Society Is Here - A Totalitarian’s Dream Come True," Casey research International man, Giambruno: Sweden cashless society Harrison Virginia, "This could be the first country to go cashless," CNN Money, June 2, 2015. Harrison: Denmark cashless 2015 Leadership, "Nigeria: Cashless Lagos - Penalty On Cash Limits Starts Today, All Africa, April 2, 2012. Leadership: Nigeria cashless society 2012 Stahl Leslie, " The Future of Money," CBC 60 minutes, Nov. 22, 2015. Stahl: The future of money 2015 |