“無現(xiàn)金時代”即將到來？

無現(xiàn)金的趨勢

Experts agree that it is becoming a growing trend that more and more consumers across the country are using cashless payment methods.

專家們承認，國內(nèi)越來越多的消費者正在使用無現(xiàn)金的支付方式，這成為了一種日漸增長的趨勢。

In fact, as early as 1988, the State Council, the country`s cabinet, released regulations to encourage bank transfers and to reduce using cash during economic activities.

事實上，早在1988年，我國國務(wù)院就已發(fā)布了相關(guān)條例，鼓勵銀行轉(zhuǎn)賬，在經(jīng)濟活動中減少現(xiàn)金使用。

Today, the move toward a cashless society could "reduce the risks of using cash, save on costs and as a matter of convenience, prevent illegal activities such as money laundering," Dong Ximiao, a research fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.

如今，向無現(xiàn)金社會發(fā)展的這一趨勢能夠“減少現(xiàn)金使用的風(fēng)險，節(jié)約成本。而且方便起見，還能阻止洗錢等非法活動，”中國人民大學(xué)重陽金融研究院研究員董希淼在接受《環(huán)球時報》采訪時表示。

The rapid development of third-party mobile payment tools, to some extent, is helping to boost cashless payments across the country, said Dong.

在某種程度上，第三方移動支付工具的快速發(fā)展，促進了國內(nèi)無現(xiàn)金支付的增長，董希淼表示。

Transactions involving third-party mobile payments rose 46.8 percent in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the previous quarter to 18.8 trillion yuan, according to a report Beijing-based research consultancy Analysys released in May.

據(jù)北京研究咨詢公司易觀五月發(fā)布的一份報告顯示，2017年第一季度，使用第三方移動支付的交易額為18.8萬億人民幣，較去年同期增長了46.8%。

There were 3.4 billion third-party payment accounts in total in China in 2016, a Goldman Sachs report showed.

而高盛投資公司發(fā)布的一份報告顯示，2016年，中國共有34億第三方支付的賬戶。

But China is not the first country to seek a cashless society. Developed states like Sweden, Denmark and Singapore are also witnessing cashless payment methods proliferate.

但中國并非是首個向無現(xiàn)金社會邁進的國家。瑞典、丹麥、新加坡等發(fā)達國家也見證了無現(xiàn)金支付方式的擴散。

Disputes and criticisms

爭議與批評

The rapid development of cashless payments does not mean there are no challenges and criticisms.

無現(xiàn)金支付的快速發(fā)展并不意味著沒有挑戰(zhàn)和批評。

Alibaba`s Hema store, where customers can shop, dine and order commodities for delivery from their mobile phones via Alipay, have come into the spotlight recently. Media reports alleged that consumers can`t purchase goods with cash there, which would be considered illegal.

阿里巴巴旗下的“盒馬鮮生”超市近期備受關(guān)注。在超市中，顧客能通過手機上的支付寶進行購物、用餐以及訂購送貨上門的商品。有媒體報道稱，顧客們無法在超市使用現(xiàn)金購買商品，此行為被認為涉嫌違法。

A Hema PR representative told the Global Times that all 13 Hema stores in the country do in fact allow consumers to pay in cash. She noted that Hema store simply recommend consumers to pay via Alipay for convenience purposes.

一位“盒馬鮮生”的公關(guān)代表在接受《環(huán)球時報》采訪時表示，事實上，國內(nèi)“盒馬鮮生” 全部13家超市都允許顧客現(xiàn)金支付。她指出，“盒馬鮮生”僅僅出于方便的考慮，推薦顧客使用支付寶支付。

Alipay and WeChat Pay, the nation`s two major third-party mobile payment tools, also launched campaigns this month to encourage more merchants and customers to use cashless payment methods.

支付寶和微信支付是國內(nèi)兩家主要的第三方移動支付工具。兩方都于本月發(fā)起活動，鼓勵商戶和消費者使用無現(xiàn)金支付方式。

Within the campaigns, both called for the establishment of a "cashless society", which provoked concerns over whether cash will soon disappear.

在活動中，支付寶和微信支付都提倡建立起一個“無現(xiàn)金社會”，這也引發(fā)了人們對于現(xiàn)金是否即將消失的擔(dān)憂。

"[Some] offline sellers refuse to accept cash, which impacts the natural circulation of yuan," said Dong.

“(一些)線下賣家拒收現(xiàn)金，對人民幣的自然流通造成了影響，”董希淼表示。

Dong emphasized that a cashless society would not mean that cash would completely disappear. As the economy grows, the circulation of cash is still very huge, noted Dong.

董希淼強調(diào)，一個無現(xiàn)金社會并不意味著現(xiàn)金將完全消失。他指出，隨著經(jīng)濟增長，現(xiàn)金的流通量依然十分龐大。

Also, it`s important to remember that nearly half of China`s population lives in rural areas, especially in undeveloped western regions, and therefore is not able to enjoy innovation brought by the Internet, Dong said.

董希淼表示，要切記，中國有將近半數(shù)的人口居住在農(nóng)村地區(qū)，尤其是在不發(fā)達的西部地區(qū)，這些人無法享受到互聯(lián)網(wǎng)所帶來的創(chuàng)新成果。

And when it comes to China`s senior citizens, most of them prefer to use cash in their daily lives, he added.

而大多數(shù)中國老年群體更喜歡在日常生活中使用現(xiàn)金，他補充道。

Tolerant stance

寬容的立場

However, some experts show a tolerant stance toward mobile payments.

然而，一些專家卻對移動支付表現(xiàn)出了一種寬容的立場。

"Mobile payments drive financial innovation and help to build a cost-effective society," Wang Pengbo, a finance industry analyst at Analysys, told the Global Times.

“移動支付促進了金融創(chuàng)新，并有助于建立一個成本效益好的社會，”易觀金融行業(yè)分析師王蓬博在接受《環(huán)球時報》采訪時表示。

He believes that it`s "ridiculous" to question digital payment tools` contribution toward financial development. He said that people should be more tolerant toward emerging mobile payment platforms.

他認為，質(zhì)疑數(shù)字支付工具對金融發(fā)展所做的貢獻相當(dāng)“可笑”。他表示，人們應(yīng)當(dāng)對新興的移動支付平臺更加寬容。

"Under [applicable] regulations and laws, the country should continue to encourage the development of mobile payments," advised Wang.

“在(適用的)法律法規(guī)之下，國家應(yīng)當(dāng)繼續(xù)鼓勵移動支付的發(fā)展，”王蓬博建議道。

In the long term, various payment methods will be used by consumers, predicted Dong. "[Ultimately], merchants should respect consumers` payment habits," Dong noted.

從長遠來看，消費者將使用各式各樣的支付方式，董希淼預(yù)測道。“(最終)，商戶還是應(yīng)該尊重消費者的支付習(xí)慣，”董希淼指出。