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Can't remember the last time I paid cash, or saw anyone else using cash, not even at markets and things. Sweden really is cashless these days. And it works incredibly well.

The old people I know all manage to use cards just fine. Most have Swish too.

The 'unbanked' mentioned in the article are rare, but perhaps the solution is not to bring back cash but rather offer limited banking to the currently unbanked?



It is quite incredible to me that Sweden doesn't have a bank of last resort to cater for the people the big banks don't care about.

The best they have is SBAB which is a partially state-owned bank but they focus more on mortgages.

Brazil has one (Caixa Economica Federal) for example.


I go to history events held monthly at the downtown library, in the afternoons. That means it's mostly retirees and me (it's an advantage of being self-employed and often, like now, working while at the library).

They ask for 20 kronor for fika. While the organizers accept Swish, the large majority of attendees pay in cash.


I only see cash being used more often in the suburbs of Stockholm, actually now that I think of it's quite common to see someone handing even coins to the cashiers in Norsborg, Alby, Masmo, Vårby, and some other distant suburbs.




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