30/08/2023
We are so used to rattling coins in our pockets and rustling crumpled bills from our wallets that we have forgotten: just a few decades ago, the very fact that money was somewhere "in the air" seemed wild. Today, plastic, a recent revolution, is already considered a past century - it is being replaced by other, even less tangible expressions of money. Thus, in 2004, the NFC-payment system was announced (from Near Field Communication) - a technology of wireless data transfer between devices located at a distance of up to 10 centimeters. It is thanks to it that we can put our phone, which is always at hand, to the terminal at the checkout and not fumble in our bag looking for cash or a cardholder. There are also more futuristic things: for example, the payment ring, which was first presented in 2015 by the British startup Kerv. The technology is based on an NFC chip, and the gadget retails for almost £100. Last year, Visa introduced its own "smart" ring, and every year more and more new gadgets appear that also accumulate payment functions - watches, fitness trackers, etc.