瑞典邁向無現金的未來 In Sweden a Cash Free Future Nears
STOCKHOLM — Parishioners text tithes to their churches. Homeless street vendors carry mobile credit-card readers. Even the Abba Museum, despite being a shrine to the 1970s pop group that wrote “Money, Money, Money,” considers cash so last-century that it does not accept bills and coins.
斯德哥爾摩——教區信衆透過短信向教會繳納什一稅。無家可歸的街頭小販隨身攜帶移動信用卡刷卡機。作爲70年代流行組合、《錢，錢，錢》(Money, Money, Money)的作者阿巴樂隊(Abba)的聖祠，阿巴博物館(Abba Museum)也認爲現金“過時”而不接受紙幣和硬幣。
Few places are tilting toward a cashless future as quickly as Sweden, which has become hooked on the convenience of paying by app and plastic.
很少有地方像瑞典一樣，迅速地朝着無現金的未來邁進。瑞典已經迷上了移動應用和卡片支付的便利。
This tech-forward country, home to the music streaming service Spotify and the maker of the Candy Crush mobile games, has been lured by the innovations that make digital payments easier. It is also a practical matter, as many of the country's banks no longer accept or dispense cash.
作爲音樂串流服務Spotify和移動遊戲糖果粉碎傳奇(Candy Crush)的誕生地，這個崇尚技術進步的國家十分醉心於方便數碼支付的創新。這也是一個現實的問題，因爲許多瑞典的銀行不再接受或分發現金。
At the Abba Museum, “we don't want to be behind the times by taking cash while cash is dying out,” said Bjorn Ulvaeus, a former Abba member who has leveraged the band's legacy into a sprawling business empire, including the museum.
前阿巴樂隊成員比約恩·烏爾維烏斯(Bjorn Ulvaeus)在阿巴博物館說：“我們可不想落後於時代，現金已經快淘汰了還要收。”他利用樂隊留下的傳奇建立了一個龐大的商業帝國，其中包括這座博物館。
Not everyone is cheering. Sweden's embrace of electronic payments has alarmed consumer organizations and critics who warn of a rising threat to privacy and increased vulnerability to sophisticated Internet crimes. Last year, the number of electronic fraud cases surged to 140,000, more than double the amount a decade ago, according to Sweden's Ministry of Justice.
不是每個人都在歡呼。電子支付在瑞典的普及已經令消費者組織和批評人士心生警惕。他們警告侵犯隱私的威脅會上升，也會令高水平的網絡犯罪更加猖狂。根據瑞典司法部，去年電子欺詐案件數量激增至14萬，相比十年前增加了一倍。
Older adults and refugees in Sweden who use cash may be marginalized, critics say. And young people who use apps to pay for everything or take out loans via their mobile phones risk falling into debt.
批評人士說，在瑞典使用現金的老年人和難民可能會被邊緣化。而使用移動應用以支付一切費用或通過手機借貸的年輕人，可能會面臨陷入債務的風險。
“It might be trendy,” said Bjorn Eriksson, a former director of the Swedish police force and former president of Interpol. “But there are all sorts of risks when a society starts to go cashless.”
“這可能是很時髦，”前瑞典警察局局長和前國際刑警主席比約恩·埃裏克鬆(Bjorn Eriksson)說。“但當社會不用現金時，也會面臨種種風險。”
But advocates like Ulvaeus cite personal safety as a reason that countries should go cash-free. He switched to using only card and electronic payments after his son's Stockholm apartment was burglarized twice several years ago.
烏爾維烏斯這樣的無現金倡導者則以人身安全爲由，鼓勵國家應該不再用現金。自從他兒子在斯德哥爾摩的公寓數年前兩次被盜後，烏爾維烏斯就只用卡或電子付款了。
“There was such a feeling of insecurity,” said Ulvaeus, who carries no cash at all. “It made me think: What would happen if this was a cashless society, and the robbers couldn't sell what they stole?”
“當時就有種不安全的感覺。”現在已經完全不攜帶現金的烏爾維烏斯說。“這讓我想到：如果這是一個無現金社會，而劫匪無法銷贓，那會怎麼樣？”
Bills and coins now represent just 2 percent of Sweden's economy, compared with 7.7 percent in the United States and 10 percent in the euro area. This year, only a fifth of all consumer payments in Sweden have been made in cash, compared with an average of 75 percent in the rest of the world, according to Euromonitor International.
紙幣和硬幣現在只佔了瑞典經濟的2％，而在美國有7.7％，歐元區有10%。根據歐睿信息諮詢公司(Euromonitor International)，今年瑞典所有的消費付款只有五分之一使用現金，反觀在世界其他地區平均有75％以現金付款。
Cards are still king in Sweden — with nearly 2.4 billion credit and debit transactions in 2013, compared with 213 million 15 years earlier. But even plastic is facing competition, as a rising number of Swedes use apps for everyday commerce.
卡在瑞典仍然是主要交易工具——在2013年有近24億信用卡和儲蓄卡交易，15年前只有2.13億。不過，卡也面臨競爭，因爲越來越多瑞典人在日常交易中使用移動應用。
At more than half of the branches of the country's biggest banks, including SEB, Swedbank, Nordea Bank and others, no cash is kept on hand, nor are cash deposits accepted. They say they are saving a significant amount on security by removing the incentive for bank robberies.
瑞典幾大銀行，包括瑞典北歐斯安銀行(SEB)、瑞典銀行(Swedbank)、北歐聯合銀行(Nordea Bank)等，有半數以上的分行不存現金，也不接受現金存款。他們說這顯著節省了保安成本，因爲劫匪搶劫銀行的誘因沒有了。
Last year, Swedish bank vaults held around 3.6 billion kronor in notes and coins, down from 8.7 billion in 2010, according to the Bank for International Settlements. Cash machines, which are controlled by a Swedish bank consortium, are being dismantled by the hundreds, especially in rural areas.
根據國際清算銀行(Bank for International Settlements)，去年瑞典銀行金庫大約存着36億瑞典克朗的紙幣和硬幣，而2010年有87億。由瑞典銀行財團控制的取款機有數百臺將被拆除，尤其是在農村地區。
Eriksson, who now heads the Association of Swedish Private Security Companies, a lobbying group for firms providing security for cash transfers, accuses banks and credit card companies of trying to “price cash out of the market” to make way for cards and electronic payments, which generate fee income.
現爲瑞典私營保安公司協會(Association of Swedish Private Security Companies)會長的埃裏克鬆指責銀行和信用卡公司試圖“用高定價將現金擠出市場”，讓位給卡和電子支付。卡和電子支付能產生費用收入。協會是一個代表現金運輸護衛公司的遊說團體。
“I don't think that's something they should decide on their own,” he said. “Should they really be able to use their market force to turn Sweden into a cashless society?”
“我不認爲這事應該它們自行決定，”他說。“它們應該利用其市場力量，使瑞典成爲一個無現金社會嗎？”
The government has not sought to stem the cashless tide. If anything, it has benefited from more efficient tax collection, because electronic transactions leave a trail; in countries like Greece and Italy, where cash is still heavily used, tax evasion remains a big problem.
政府沒有試圖阻止無現金潮流。事實上由於稅款收集的效率提高，它還是個受益者，因爲電子交易會留下痕跡；而在仍大量使用現金的希臘和意大利等國，偷稅漏稅仍然是一個大問題。
Leif Trogen, an official at the Swedish Bankers' Association, acknowledged that banks were earning substantial fee income from the cashless revolution. But because it costs money for banks and businesses to conduct commerce in cash, reducing its use makes financial sense, Trogen said.
瑞典銀行家協會(Swedish Bankers' Association)官員雷夫·特羅根(Leif Trogen)承認，銀行從無現金化革命中能獲得可觀的費用收入。特羅根說，但由於銀行和企業用現金開展交易是有成本的，減少現金的使用在財務上是合理的。
Cash is certainly not dead. The Swedish central bank, the Riksbank, predicts it will decline fast but still be circulating in 20 years. Recently, the Riksbank issued newly redesigned coins and notes.
現金當然還沒有死。瑞典央行瑞典國家銀行(Riksbank)，預計現金流通量將下降得很快，但未來20年仍然會流通。瑞典國家銀行近日剛剛推出硬幣和紙幣的新設計。
But for an increasing number of consumers, cash is no longer a habit.
但是，對於越來越多的消費者來說，現金付款已不再是消費習慣。
At the University of Gothenburg, students said they almost exclusively used cards and electronic payments. “No one uses cash,” said Hannah Ek, 23. “I think our generation can live without it.”
在哥德堡大學(University of Gothenburg)的學生說，他們幾乎只用卡和電子支付。“我們不使用現金了，”23歲的漢娜·耶克(Hannah Ek)說。“我覺得我們這一代人可以不用現金了。”
The downside, she conceded, was that it was easy to spend without thinking. “I do spend more,” Ek said. “But if I had a 500 krona bill, I'd think twice about spending it all.” (Five hundred kronor is about $58.)
她承認缺點是很容易不假思索就花錢了。“我花的更多了，”耶克說。“但是，如果我有一張500克朗紙幣，我花錢會三思而後。”（五百克朗約合58美元。）
The shift has rippled through even the most unlikely corners of the Swedish economy.
連瑞典經濟中最意想不到的角落，都在被這種轉變影響着。
Stefan Wikberg, 65, was homeless for four years after losing his job as an IT technician. He has a place to live now and sells magazines for Situation Stockholm, a charitable organization, and began using a mobile card reader to take payments, after noticing that almost no one carried cash.
65歲的斯特凡·維克貝格(Stefan Wikberg)作爲IT技術人員失業後曾有四年無家可歸。他現在有住的地方，而且爲慈善組織“斯德哥爾摩情勢”(Situation Stockholm)出售雜誌。他發現幾乎沒有人攜帶現金後，就開始利用移動刷卡機收款。
“Now people can't get away,” said Wikberg, who carries a sign saying he accepts Visa, MasterCard and American Express. “When they say, `I don't have change,' I tell them they can pay with card or even by SMS,” he said, referring to text messages. His sales have grown by 30 percent since he adopted the card reader two years ago.
維克貝格說：“現在人們沒借口了。”他帶着一個牌子，上面寫着他接受Visa、萬事達卡(MasterCard)和美國運通(American Express)。“當他們說，‘我沒有零錢，’我告訴他們，他們可以用卡甚至用短信支付。”自兩年前使用刷卡機收款後，他的銷售增長了30％。
Despite the convenience, even some who stand to gain from a cashless society see drawbacks.
雖然方便，但即使一些支持無現金社會的人也看見了弊端。
“Sweden has always been at the forefront of technology, so it's easy to embrace this,” said Jacob de Geer, a founder of iZettle, which makes a mobile-powered card reader.
IZettle的創始人之一雅各布·德吉爾(Jacob de Geer)說：“瑞典一直走在技術的最前沿，所以很容易接受電子支付，”iZettle開發用移動設備供電的刷卡器。
“But Big Brother can watch exactly what you're doing if you purchase things only electronically,” he said.
他說：“但如果你購買東西只用電子付款，‘老大哥’將掌握你的一舉一動。”
But for Ulvaeus, the music magnate, such concerns are overblown.
但對於音樂鉅子烏爾維烏斯來說，這種擔憂被誇大了。
“Everything speaks in favor of a cashless society,” he said as he strolled past the Abba Museum to retrieve his car. “It's a utopian thought, but we're very close to it.”
“一切都支持無現金社會，”他在漫步穿過阿巴博物館去取車的路上說。“這是一個烏托邦式的想法，但我們已經非常接近。”
He paused at a hot-dog stand for a snack. But when he was ready to pay, the card reader was broken.
他停在一個熱狗攤前買小吃。但是當他準備付錢時，刷卡機壞了。
“Sorry,” the vendor said. “You'll have to use cash.”
“對不起，”小販說。“你得付現金。”
