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When you build ecosystems where you need many participants and the public sector it is easier in a small country - especially if there is a strong standardization tradition (Finland). But if you on your own sell innovative apps domestically for smaller segments it is very difficult to get critical mass - so America is better here.

ATMs aree owned by the banks and not seen as business - just a way to get customers out of the branches originally - now numbers of ATMs declining fast at least in Finland as cash usage is so low.

Cash is an open invitation to crime - in so many dimensions..

Branch offices handling cash is close to being an exemption in the Nordics. Cash withdrawals at POS is an alternative - as ATM-networks are thinning out..

Finland actually has the lowest usage of cash today. But Denmark and Sweden seem to be determined to take the lead. On EUlevel the cost of cash to merchants was calculated to be 50bn€/year. How much is paid to card acquires I do not know - but guestimate less than 1/10th.. Of course the consumer would then stand to gain some 45 billion every year... subject to competitive retail markets...

Should of course also be available for e-id transactions and around data bases for real time e-accounting

And we do have ISO20022 for payment references, e-invoicing, account statements, public sector reporting and very soon for VAT and sales tax reporting - in addition to SEPA-payments - and do they work nicely together - now and especially in the future...Oh yes..

For e-id the solution is simple. Let citizens use the e-bank login - also in public sector and other 3rd party services. Banks cannot function if the tool is not secure = thus good enough for all services. Should be 4-cornere model to ensure competition and enable signing up with only one - the best bidder.

This is all very important - but the real huge value banks can deliver for enterprises (especially SMEs) and society at large is to integrate invoicing with payments, accounts and e-banking - down the value chain all the way to automated accounting. A bit disturbing that interesting - but much smaller business cases get all the attention.

Thank you Jean Yves! Feel free to recommend our public-private model - reusing existing familiar tools is getting exponentially more important - because citizens have run out of time - and governments out or money. If you can save 100 m tax payers money in Finland - it is a billion in France - easily. But above all you can save citizens nerves - as they can use something they already know and use ever so often anyway....