Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/200465 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
Bank of Canada Staff Discussion Paper No. 2018-12
Publisher: 
Bank of Canada, Ottawa
Abstract: 
The use of bank notes in Canada for payments has declined consistently for some time, and similar trends are evident in other countries. This has led some observers to predict a cashless society in the future. This paper considers the implications of the abandonment of the use of cash in the future. More specifically, we look at a variety of ways in which the emergence of a cashless society could affect key concerns of a central bank, including seigniorage, monetary policy, payments and financial stability considerations. We find that a cashless society would not generally cause material, system-wide problems. There are a few areas, however, where concerns could emerge: the maintenance of both operational reliability and contestability in retail payments, and the provision of a safe store of value in an (extreme) financial crisis. We note policy options to address these potential concerns.
Subjects: 
Bank notes
Digital currencies
Financial services
Payment clearing and settlement systems
JEL: 
E
E4
E41
E42
E5
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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