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Cash v Plastic

The Bank of England has printed a new five pound note made of plastic but does paper money have a future given how many financial transactions are electronic?

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's John Humphrys test-drives the new British five-pound note by dunking it into a cup of coffee while Tim Halford, managing director for Cardtronics UK & Ireland, the country's largest cash machine operator, tells us why cash still has an important role to play despite the rise in cashless financial transactions.

Meanwhile, Harvard University economist Kenneth Rogoff explains why central banks and the gun lobby in the US are loathe to give up on paper money and Nick Williamson, CEO and founder of Credits, tells us how block-chain software might eventually be used to underpin national currencies. Manuela Saragosa presents.

(Photo: The new polymer Β£5 note; Credit: Joe Giddens/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

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18 minutes

Last on

Tue 13 Sep 2016 15:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 13 Sep 2016 07:32GMT
  • Tue 13 Sep 2016 15:06GMT

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