Covid-19 and the Transition to a Cashless Economy

Policy Matters

The Covid-19 pandemic in the United States has led to a sharp increase in cashless transactions. This is part of a broader trend toward electronic payments. What are the advantages of cashless transactions? How will their rise affect poorer households, particularly those which do not use banks and/or rely on alternative financial services? What security and privacy concerns does the shift toward cashless transactions raise? What are the prospects of a transition to an entirely cashless economy?

This episode’s guest is Dr. Joyce Beebe, Fellow in Public Finance at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. She has recently published a piece called “Will Covid-19 Accelerate the Cashless Transition?” It is available on the Baker Institute website.