Think of Sweden and, in addition to vikings, Ikea and meatballs, you may well conjure up images of a highly-advanced society almost free of cash entirely.
And you wouldn’t be far from the mark. Last year, just 13pc of transactions were made using notes and coins – kroner is the currency of the Skandinavian country – and almost half of all bank branches serving the 10 million population do not deal in cash at all.
However, a fightback has begun among those who argue that many Swedes – particularly those in rural areas and the elderly – are being cut off from a fundamental right: access to cash.
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