Podcast: The WSJ And ABC Talk Cashless Payments

The first credit card the world had ever seen was released in 1950s. In the years since, we’ve witnessed a growing shift towards a cashless economy, with the recent emergence of new mobile and online payment solutions such as Facebook’s Pay by Messenger, Apple Pay, Alipay or WeChat Pay being the latest reflections of this growing phenomenon. In fact, non-cash transactions grew 11.2 percent to reach 433.1 billion globally in 2015.

If you’re interested in knowing more about the cashless revolution and how the new technology is upending the financial services industry and reshaping the way consumers handle the money, then you’re in for a treat. Recently, two excellent tech podcast series — the Wall Street Journal's “The Future of Everything” and ABC Radio National's "Future Tense" — have discussed the impact of new payment technologies on the future of transactions and the global economy. 

The first podcast, by the Wall Street Journal's Jennifer Strong, focuses on mobile payments in countries such as Kenya and China, “where people leave the house without their wallet", and tries to figure out why Americans are still far away from switching to mobile transactions themselves. The second one, by ABC Radio National's Antony Funnell, discusses the advantages and disadvantages of cashless payments, drilling down into a question: "In the race to a completely cashless future, what do we put at risk and who benefits most?"

Both podcasts are chock full of interesting ideas for what the future of payments could be. They also both bring leading expert knowledge, featuring a large variety of financial and tech specialists. About 15 and 26 minutes long, respectively, the scope and depth of the inquiry and the quality of the guests make them an essential listening for those interested in the intersection of two dynamic industries: finance and technology.