Our reporter Chen Guojing
Recently, a reporter from the Economic Daily has learned that some provinces and cities have initiated centralized rectification actions that refuse to accept cash.
On November 10, the Hangzhou Central Branch of the People's Bank of China launched a one-month special action to rectify the refusal of RMB cash. Any refusal of RMB cash will be punished according to law once it is verified.
From November to the end of the year, the Wuhan branch of the People's Bank of China carried out a special operation to rectify and reject RMB cash in Hubei Province.
The Xining Central Sub-branch of the People's Bank of China has carried out the centralized rectification of cash rejections and the construction of a long-term mechanism to maintain the order of RMB circulation.
The relevant person in charge of the People’s Bank of China Hangzhou Central Branch said that in recent years, there have been some new situations in the use of renminbi cash in the circulation sector, and the public has strongly responded. For example, some consumers have been refused to accept renminbi cash when purchasing at merchants in tourist attractions, catering, retail and other industries. .
"Rejection of cash not only damages the legal status of the renminbi, but also damages consumers' right to choose payment methods, and it is not conducive to the formation of a fair and competitive market environment." said Zhou Maohua, a macro analyst at the financial market department of China Everbright Bank. Under the background of long-term coexistence with cash payment, how to better maintain the legal status of the RMB and protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers is worthy of attention.
It is necessary to increase publicity, correct incorrect understandings, and form a consensus in the whole society; it is also necessary to increase the investigation and punishment of violations of laws and regulations, and maintain the authority and seriousness of laws and regulations.
Industry experts believe that in the current rapid development of digital economy and mobile payment, the financial payment needs of various groups must be considered.
From the perspective of payment itself, some groups lacking and inadequate banking services, such as the elderly and the disabled, will be excluded because they are not good at or unable to use modern payment tools.
Therefore, efforts should be made to avoid further financial exclusion and to prevent the digital divide from further exacerbating.
Zhou Maohua said that in recent years, the domestic digital economy has developed rapidly. The sudden epidemic has promoted the digitalization of domestic financial services. Financial institutions have continued to shrink offline business and gradually shifted to online, contactless services. At the same time, due to knowledge reserves, the elderly Habits and other factors have caused them to have certain obstacles in mastering the knowledge of information technology and adapting to the rapid development of the digital economy. The elderly often rely more on traditional offline counter operations, so the needs of this group must also be considered.
Recently, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Implementation Plan on Effectively Solving the Difficulties of the Elderly in Using Intelligent Technology", focusing on 7 types of high-frequency matters and service scenarios involving travel, medical treatment, consumption, entertainment, and service in the daily life of the elderly, and proposed 20 Articles of specific measures and requirements, which clearly propose to facilitate the daily consumption of the elderly.
The People's Bank of China has clearly taken measures from three aspects: cash management, payment services, and inclusive finance to effectively improve the availability and satisfaction of daily financial services for the elderly.
In terms of cash management, the centralized rectification of cash rejections and the construction of a long-term mechanism will be fully carried out.
Work with relevant ministries, local governments, banking financial institutions, and grassroots communities to jointly guide and standardize the use of cash in high-frequency service places such as water, electricity, gas, public utilities, retail, catering, shopping malls, and parks.
At the same time, conduct ground investigations through unannounced visits, inspections, etc., establish a list of illegal entities, and conduct key tracking. Some entities that refuse to accept cash that involve public services, people's livelihoods, and the public's high degree of concern and large influence will be subject to laws and regulations. Be punished.
In addition, widely publicized the cash receipt and payment requirements in different scenarios, and exposed some typical cases.
"In addition to publicity and guidance, we also cooperated with industry authorities to conduct joint enforcement inspections on key scenes and industries. The effect is obvious. The concept of not rejecting RMB cash is gradually gaining popularity." said the relevant person in charge of the People's Bank of China Hangzhou Center Branch.
Of course, rectifying the rejection of cash is not to exclude non-cash payments.
Experts said that cash payment has its own advantages like bank cards, Internet payment, and mobile payment. The coexistence of multiple payment methods can better protect the public's right to choose payment methods.
On the premise of receiving cash payments, encourage the use of safe and legal non-cash payment tools to protect the people and consumers' right to choose payment methods.
"From a fundamental point of view, it is necessary to establish a long-term mechanism to rectify the phenomenon of rejecting cash." Zhou Maohua believes that in the future, regulatory agencies, financial institutions, and digital technology departments will need to work together to narrow the "digital divide", promote inclusive finance, and achieve benefits for the elderly. group.
On the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen supervision and rectify behaviors that refuse to accept cash and discriminate against consumers; on the other hand, financial institutions must also cooperate with digital technology companies to further enhance the security of online digital finance, and target the consumption habits and current existing Optimize the scene and facilitate the operation of the elderly group.