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An excellent analogy.

Given that only 38% of the UK electorate voted to remain in the EU (44% voted to leave and 18% did not vote), there should be little doubt that the UK will leave the EU, deal or no deal. Good luck with the Irish move.

Is this a Canadian idea? I have never come across pre-paid cards in the UK, Europe or the US.

Like all investments there are risks. The answer is not to put all of your eggs in one basket. You need a balanced portfolio. If Bitcoin is of significant interest to you, make sure that you invest no more than 20-25% of your total savings into it and follow the advice here.

Whilst debit card and pay-by-phone are increasing in use at a fast rate in both the largest economy in the Americas, the USA, and the largest economy in Europe, Germany, cash is still widely used in both countries and acceptable everywhere. I do not see this changing in the next 20 years or more.

What is AWS?

A far better solution is for restaurants to increase their prices by 15% and customers not having to tip. It is an archaic practice that has got out of hand. Bad service can be resolved by calling the manager and asking for a discount.

The principle reason for the drop in ATM numbers in the UK is the reduction in bank branches and the reduction in fees being paid to independent ATM operators. I would suggest that mobile payments have very little to do with the reduction.

Is Ion Group a Dublin-based technology company? It looks as though it is registered there for tax purposes, but it is questionable whether it is run from Ireland. It's website offers no information about Ireland and says that it is provided by Ion in London, England. Where does the CEO reside? There is also no information about ultimate ownership.

Eight and a half million people in the UK do not have a bank account and most will not get one by 2030. How are they expected to survive? How do people in internet black spots pay for things? Perhaps the most telling thing in the last 20 years is that the Bank of England publishes statistics on the amount of physical cash in circulation. It continues to rise. Frankly, it is irrelevant what people believe. It is facts that matter. The publishers of this report should read that ancient but very relevant book by Darrell Huff - 'How to lie with statistics'.