Bitcoin Forum

The Italian Minister Council continues to wage its war on cash, with the latest ratification lowering the maximum allowed amount for cash payments. This could lead to the rise of Bitcoin in the country.

The current officials are cracking down on cash usage and have lowered the maximum threshold for cash payments from €3,000 to €2,000 starting 2020 and 1,000 Euros onward from 2022.

Click here for the full news (https://beincrypto.com/bitcoin-viability-strengthened-by-new-cash-limits-in-italy/?utm_campaign=amba&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bitcointalk&utm_content=jc)

To all Italian crypto enthusiasts here, are you in favor with this or not?

It seems that the prime minister of Italy is now in favor of cashless payments than spending paper bills in various products and services.

I also like his idea that companies who are operating in Italy are penalized if they do not accept credit or debit card as mode of payments for their customers. One thing that Italy should solve is those who are “unbanked”. Of course, not all Italians have a bank account or qualified to have a credit card.

Enter Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. I think this is a baby step towards full cashless society, and I strongly believe that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will also be part in their future system. What do you guys think about this?

Is this a great idea for Italy’s future? Should they be a great example to other countries who needs to transition from cash to cashless?

Spain is in a similar situation: Since November 2012, payments in cash are not allowed if the amount is over 2.500€, and one of the parties is either a corporation (except for banks) or a professional (plumber, etc.) is some sort of trade. The restriction does not currently apply to peer-to-peer transactions between non-corporate/non-professional parties.

The idea is to cut down on underground trades by delimiting cash TXs, moving on to traceable digital TXs. France I believe sets this limit currently in 1K€.

I’ve travelled around northern European countries, and they tend to be rather much cashless, and use cards to purchase even a single packet of chewing-gum. Some shops bear a sign stating that cash is not accepted at all. That seems to be a cultural move, and as such, it doesn’t seem to be a booster to using crypto per se.

Italy, as Spain, Greece and other countries, have a long tradition of performing cash transactions to avoid taxes (both in the origin and in the spending). That is also a cultural thing in a sense, different to the one stated above, that perhaps may try to find a work around through crypto. Nevertheless, crypto is not that easy to manage for the common street person, and I don’t believe that cash restrictions would catalyse crypto in a significant proportion.

Many countries are facing the reality in one way or another that in the next decade to come this world is gradually switching into a cashless ecosystem. Ghana also announced its plans in creating their own digital form of payment not necessarily a cryptocurrency. One thing that i have realized is that, even if these countries decide to adopt digital form of payment most are likely going to create their own cryptocurrency and not necessarily use bitcoin or ethereum. Should this be a great concern for bitcoin holders?

Anti-cash does not mean pro-bitcoin.

From what the Italian minister said, it looks like they want people to use debit and credit cards where all payments can be tracked (and thus taxed). Italy has a real problem with a mafia economy where everything is done in cash. It also has a problem with small businesses operating in cash and not declaring all profits, in order to evade paying tax.

Once you insist on electronic payments, it's easier to track actual revenue and tax it.

When I saw Italy with relation to cashless and bitcoin, I knew there must be an antecedent to the development. They have gone to be the quiet nation in economy and world influence. They have very low impact in cryptocurrency space and this be will impactful to contain corruption among the politicians. Sometimes in politics it can still be a play to the gallery, except going against the ruling party, you may not be exposed.

Just because Italy is now anti-cash doesn't mean they are pro-Bitcoin.

Just because China accelerates blockhain development doesn't mean they are pro-Bitcoin.

Things aren't that simple, but I agree that this is one step closer to Bitcoin to get adopted there.

Anti-cash countries do not mean that they support bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. They are only trying to limit cash payments to avoid tax evasion. If everyone pays with a credit card then every transaction is monitored and taxed, I support this.
I have a question to ask, does Italy consider cryptocurrencies to be a money and allowed to use it to pay?

Exactly, India did a similar thing to their "cash" a while ago where they blacklisted certain denominations of their currency. The main purpose behind this is to create a digital ledger of sorts for all the TXs making it more trackable just like @DdmrDdmr mentioned. This also has to do with corruption. From what I have read Italy suffers from corruption so it will help their economy in the long run... BTW accepting cryptos will only hinder their cause. The whole idea stems from removing Anonymity and creating a full trackable system.

I think that within the future we as a globally collective species will become a cashless society. As of right now we are within the digital age. Everything that once seemed distant is now almost within our reach. Just 100 years ago or so, people wouldn't have dreamed of the technology that we have available today, but a few did imagine!

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies could help providing an alternative to digital fiat, since not all are capable of acquiring credit and debit cards. In addition, digital fiat and cryptocurrencies are two different things. For one, digital fiat could still be monitored, such as whom are you sending to, your purchases, etc. On the other hand, cryptocurrencies offer true financial freedom, though is often exploited and used for illegal activities. Removing fiat does decrease the need of natural resources, but sacrifices a bit of financial privacy/freedom since cash is difficult to trade while is generally accepted.

How fact that someone is against cash (which is not completely correct in this case) should mean that the state is pro-Bitcoin? The purpose of such measures is to make as many transactions as possible digitally, which means better control over money laundering, terrorist financing, and the grey economy. It is utter nonsense that Italy could turn to Bitcoin, maybe if this can be a decision they can make, but as part of the EU and a member of the Eurozone best they can do is to make Bitcoin legal tender (same as Germany a few years ago).

Take Sweden (https://sweden.se/business/cashless-society/) for example, about 80% of payments are in digital form, and in a few years it is predicted that this country will completely leave cash. I can not say for sure, but Bitcoin is not so popular there, although there is a lot of talk about mining. A country with low corruption, a stable currency and very likely digital currency (e-krona) do not allow Bitcoin much space.

In my opinion, 1k for cash payment is really to low value. And this anti cash law is not meaning anti fiat

Must be done to collect tax for everyone. Taxing the cash transaction is difficult for the authorities to do so they ban cash transactions, seem a better solution for the government as they see all transaction rather than cash. Doesn't really mean pro-bitcoin but they encourage credit or debit cards. It should be time for the card projects in crypto to work in these countries, projects like Monaco Card and Tenx will be probably be used by those unbanked.

They might not pro-bitcoin, there is nothing else to be pro with if you are anti-cash but only the cryptocurrency.
It did not surprise me at all, European countries are pushing these changes to be well working country in the future.


This is true, Chinese president Xi Jinping already in combat with illegal activities involving cryptocurrencies and exchanges registered on China. Xi Jinping even stated that it is the blockchain that they are trying to understand and study for further regulation not the Bitcoin.



With that things being said Bitcoin is still at large on being adopted coz it is the most reputable cryptocurrency at the moment, maybe even after a couple of decades.

Moving to digital payments does not mean accepting cryptocurrencies. There are lots of tax evasion in cash transactions thats why many countries are moving to digital payments, be it credit cards, debit cards or payments through any app directly linked to bank accounts. If Bitcoin is one of the mode of payment in any country then only it can be called as pro Bitcoin but there are higher chances that countries which are moving towards cashless transactions may consider blockchain technology in their someday and they may recognize cryptocurrencies.

This policy is already on in some nations of the world, and they call it cashless society, although the amount of cash varies per countries and in my country for example and in some states, extra charges are uncured by defaulters. This really doesn't mean they love bitcoin, but with time, they should embrace crypto as a better option to fiat.

That $1000 cash payment cap will turn out to be high somewhere in 2025 when the government only approves sub $100 cash payments. It's a pretty shocking development because if it turns out to be a success for the government, it's very likely going to be introduced in other countries as well because governments globally want all your value movements to be traceable.

I'm however skeptical when it comes to people switching to Bitcoin because most of the common joes will follow whatever their governments orders them to do. They might even find it a great development because it according to them curbs down on tax evasion and the dark criminal economies that thrive on cash money. Some sheeps just can't be unsheeped.

I really think that they are a evolving country that are now being ready for the change to come in digitizing every transaction and payments in the future to come, But I think that they still not fully embrace the cashless transaction yet, because in my opinion maybe there are still paper transaction happening and not entirely gone I think it will come in a pace to pace situation in getting to the point of Fiatless and cardless transaction to be attained.

Well, I don't really see any relation between what the Italian Minister council is trying to introduced and bitcoin or cryptocurrency in general. In as much that the current officials of Italy are interested in making they financial ecosystem cashless does not really conclude that they are interested in cryptocurrency and bitcoin to be precise. They will rather prefer a centralized cashless ecosystem than a decentralized one which they might no have any control on the in flow of funds. People shouldn't be very happy about this.

It's not like they would be anti-fiat, they're just anti-cash just like many countries in Europe. Slowly we need to eliminate the cash utilization which is an unnecessary spending. Why use cash when you can easily use electronic payments? Of course that using cash you can make transactions "off-the-grid" sort to say, but if you are a person with high ethics the only thing that wouldn't keep you away from using cash is the possible tracking that banks or people following our accounts' transactions might operate. That is ilegal, but still are you willing to trust the banks on this? That's why I think Bitcoin will totally transform the society as we know it.

Indeed there are some issues that Europe will soon launch a digital currency, I think this is still a relationship with bitcoin later which indicates the possibility that Europe will open up to bitcoin in the near future.

This has been in the headlines lately to suppress the prices of major currencies so that they can stabilize in the event of a weakening of the euro.

Cashless does not mean Bitcoin. Cash is just less useful and traceable than debit cards, so it's likely that Italy is trying to encourage people to use their cards more often. No wonder they're doing it, since when we went on a trip to Rome, we read that Italy is not that big on card payments in cafes and stuff, so it's much better to bring cash and be calm about this. I am not sure whether it was a precaution or it really mattered, since we used cash and did not pay attention to whether other options were available.
The tweet in this article also suggests that, as some have noted already, it's not a war against fiat, it's just against cash payments. So I am not sure whether it will help people to notice Bitcoin.

Good point! Anti-cash should be common thing in the next few years. Now is electronic era, and it is much more efficient than cash system. But still could be a long way for Bitcoin adoption cause electronic payment system has a very wide definition. The govt could be a sign to start adopting cryptocurrency or either just to use centralized electronic payment system.

Everytime one positive over another about btc and crypto in general, i think in the long run this will be good impact on crypto, i mean who don't want to be a part of a ground breaking technology! Gradually some top officials are seeing the importance of digital currency and warming up to the idea, i hope this continues.

I would assume that Bitcoin won’t be an official currency of Italy. Most likely they will just use the same fiat currency but in digital form only. Or they will create their own cryptocurrency.

Although the move is to limit the amount of cash trades and prevent the spread of illicit, underground transactions, I still believe that this will not inspire a move for cryptocurrencies to flourish. People will just use any other government-recommended payment system/services since they don't want to get into trouble, or at least get themselves in situations where they can get apprehended for legal reasons.

Switzerland could be the first EU country to be cashless and officially accept cryptocurrencies. But for the case of Italy, Spain, France and others, they'd just move to digital cash for tracking purposes and not cryptocurrencies.

A cashless life is not really crypto support. Rather, it is a fight against fiat money, because fiat money engenders corruption and manipulation. Yes, cryptocurrency is ideal for a cashless life, however, for this, Italian leaders must accept Bitcoins and crypto in the country

Of course, this is very good news, but at the same time they are bewildering, namely, how some of the leading countries of the world accept cryptocurrencies without problems, and countries such as the USA constantly express negative opinions and raise questions about the ban on cryptocurrencies.  I believe that cryptocurrency users will win and cryptocurrency will be used all over the world without any problems.

No, I think this is a horrible move on Italy's part.  The more cashless a government makes its citizens become, the more they can track those citizens' financial transactions, and that isn't a good thing IMO at all.

I fully realize that most people prefer to pay for things with their plastic or phones, but I think people should always have the option to pay with cash.

And no, I don't think this is going to do anything as far as increasing bitcoin adoption.  It's just Italy's government bullying its own people into giving up information.  This makes me want to chuck up my lunch.  Hopefully this sort of shenanigans doesn't become a global trend.

I also think so that if Italy is anti-cash now, this does not mean that Italy wants to accept cryptocurrency. Online payments are made using banks, but crypto is different.

I think we should not assert too soon. There are many alternatives to cash that are not bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The requirement: the currency be transparent and its value must be recognized by the government and everyone. Legality will make it easily accepted. Bitcoin is just one of many options.

I am not a fan of any country forcing their citizen to follow a path and when a government is against cash transaction you have to consider the merits of the rule they are implementing, they are not accepting BTCitcoin and there is nothing much to rejoice for our community but they are enforcing people to use fiat currency digitally which is not a good thing as you are living with all the restrictions and the freedom is curtailed and that is the fact.

Bitcoin will completely change society and the process of exchanging values, rebuild the banking system, but I have a question, will countries accept Bitcoin? This is a direct loss of power.

i'm not a fan. it adds additional costs for merchants, which disproportionately hurts small business owners. it's a typical example of how government regulation increases costs.

we can see they are trying to phase out cash entirely with their incrementally lower limits. because the changes are subtle and occur over years, consumers are like the boiling frog. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog) they won't put up a fight. most won't even realize that fully electronic payments are bad for their privacy.

This sounds like very good news for the bitcoin community and the rest of the world. It will be interesting to see if the European Union favors bitcoin and other digital currencies over other cashless forms of money.

Ciao :)
In Italia we have some regulations that are changing since there is an high tax evasion and they think is related to cash payment.

For what I have seen, (like in some "official" appointment in Rome http://inpolitix.it/eventi-politici/42597-la-bitcoin-valley-trentina-in-parlamento-opportunita-x-litalia ) they are using the word "bitcoin" and "blockchain" without have any real idea of what they are talking about.
Note on this appointment there were no more then 10 people able to understand what was discussed...

personally (my Italian 2 cents ), I don't agree with such type of agreement, since these limitations are like "honey" for our banks and their heavy fees on credit card ...
limitations on cash payment will not avoid tax evasion.
limitations of cash payment wan't give any real advantage to bitcoin.
it's just an anti-cash promo, they will not adopt bitcoin :D

Have you ever heard that in Italy there are some politics party that own millions of euro and they want give anymore to the collectivity ?
https://milano.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/19_dicembre_10/fondi-lega-riciclaggio-indagato-stefano-bruno-galli-assessore-regione-lombardia-ec367a88-1b5f-11ea-9c4c-98ae20290393.shtml
Did you think people like this want track their payment :) :) :)
Come on guys, come on!!!!

the right news should be=
ITALY is now ANTI-CASH. That's it. Don't be fooled!

Its a great start for them and eventually to influence other countries to do the same. Well, debit and credit cards are really convenient. And as they said you can easily track your spendings. Somehow they say it will make them easy also to tax us. But its really the reality that we spent. There's no wrong with cash. What I mean is that why we should hide our expenses? As long the government use our taxes properly.

Ciao! Read the previous post :) mine! you find all answers :)

As I told before, they are just acting against cash payment (likewise every shop should adopt payment with credit card). As italian, living in Italy, I can confirm that this news is not related to bitcoin.

That is not a small step in my view but it is a big step for technological advancements and the digital era because the Italian prime minister has obliged every company to accept payments using credit or debit cards or in other words the Italian prime minister wants a more digital payment system, and they also made a plan that must at least be prioritized about requiring all residents to have a bank account so that the plan can work well. To make such a big transition, it is indeed necessary for every government from every country to make big steps as well so that all plans can be done as well as possible, if that can be done well then of course crypto and blockchain which have many advantages in technology and digital will plays an important role for the system to be implemented.

seeing good news like this continues, it looks like it has a positive effect on bitcoin. and we are a little bit right, because day by day more and more positive things are making bitcoin more popular .. !! ;D

Is it really hard to get a bank account in Italy? Shouldn't be the case in an EU member country.


Switzerland is not an EU country.

Do you get valid information side about Italy dislike with cash transaction and look interested by using bitcoin as their currency? I know which one country keep support bitcoin as legal currency and look not really trusted if Italy like using bitcoin as currency digital payment because Europe is not support country for using bitcoin as currency payment transaction.

Every countries are rooting for cashless transaction and many have realized blockchain is the way to go. Blockchain provides both the transparency and flexibility as well as one of the most cost efficient way to supply cash. We could be seeing a physical bank less economy which certainly would bring a boost to economy.

This has little to do with Bitcoin actually.
Its terrible for privacy and freedom of people. Cash payments even if you don't use them are basic of freedom and privacy in society.
I hope people will recognize that as soon as possible to prevent such limitations.

actually , this does not cause a great demand for Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies in Italy. because the government only limits the use of fiat money but there are also a lot of credit systems and payment apps. It even works faster and better than crypto because it has more approved services than coins. Now paying with crypto is also very rare and only available in a few services, besides, I find it not highly recommended in payment.

Italy didn't even say that they will adopt bitcoin, they just want to monitor all the transactions of their people so they can collect taxes. On the other hand, if many countries follow this trend then people might choose to use bitcoin which can be more safe to them as well. They still support cash of course, but as much as possible they encourage their people to do online transactions or digital payments. Pro-bitcoin countries are yet to come, hopefully soon.

If I am not mistaken there is already a country that is cashless but being cashless or anti-cash doesn't really mean that they are pro-Bitcoin or crypto.
There are other payment method not just crypto and cash so we shouldn't really jump into conclusion that they are pro-Bitcoin or crypto now.
But let's hope that they would consider crypto or Bitcoin in the future.

Of course it's not, but who is doing research nowadays before posting ?!

According to Banca Italia
 (https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/sistema-pagamenti/2017-sistema-pagamenti/en_statistiche_SDP_22052017.pdf?language_id=1) in 2016 there were 14 mil credit cards and 44 million debit cards that at a population of under 50 million over 18 yo.

As for the %&^ who think that "this is great for bitcoin", do you honestly think that a government who wants more control and information over the people's money is going to encourage bitcoin usage? Once cash is killed bitcoin will be next in line.

Ther are two types of societies that go cashless
a) one where the people chose so because the fees are low, it's more convenient, like Sweden
b) one where the government is desperate to tax everything because of the budget holes, like Italy!

yes i agree with you anti cash does not mean pro with cryptocurrency. if I read the article there has been no official statement from the prime minister that they will use or support cryptocurrency. the Italian government limits the use of cash so that people switch to using debit or credit cards. The use of a debit card will make it easier for the Italian government to take tax from its citizens.

Italy is taking a big step in adoption i guess they dont want to be left behind in technology they're following the steps of china who is creating their own cryptocurrency back by gold to avoid USD backed fiats. There could be a chance that's not what they're after, but to counter money laundering by tracking their people and to tax them.

This scenario is not only in Italy, but it's also almost a common new trend about the using of cash money, Most of the government are not interested in using cash because they want to use digital payment system for their people, so far I know Spain has started a trend where a big amount of payment should be paid by digital payment system, not cash, I think Itali also will take as like this policy, In Europe, Other countries have taken such type of initiative regarding Cashless society, I think this type of steps is really fruitful for the cryptocurrency and Bitcoin.

In Italy a lot of people doesn't have a bank account since they have also not "official money" (working without contract etc)... 

A lot of merchants (like taxi driver) most of times REFUSE to accept a ride if you want pay with a card
since they don't give any real receipt or better they don't want paying taxes...

Almost all countries in the world are making it harder and harder to use cash and this includes my country as well, I but this doesn't mean that they are really supporting Cryptocurrencies, it just means that they want people to make molre electronic transfers. Than using physical cash for transactions, this is more easier to track and tax than cash payments, but we all know that Cryptocurrencies are the next step in the evolution of money so it's just a matter of time until Governments around the world start jumping into the bandwagon and encouraging their citizens to use Cryptocurrency payments, which other payment method is cheaper and faster?

lol anti cash?it not because they are welcoming crypto ..

we have been seeing European Countries starting to adopt crypto or Bitcoin specifically and this is best for all of us,but don't forget that fiat will still exist until the mas adoption happens in future.

I think that is good it is now being used for all the nations. Because with cash less transactions there are a lot of benefits and one of it is the prevention of crime like being robbed or hold up. It is much more applicable for the highly urbanize country or city where internet is every where.

But I think there are some limitation for that. I think it can only be use on the cities or places where internet is every where. Maybe peddlers won't have that cash less basis. Or some small business. And a lot of people in the remote areas in the province with out internet connection will not be able to trade with cashless basis. Maybe some are cashless because they barter. But the physical form of assets are still needed for trade at some places and it won't be replace by digital trading system.

There's no adoption though, they are just trying to reduce the usage of cash which gradually considered to be obsolete and is not convenient and it seems that they are instead switching to the digital payment or cashless society. Something to be expected when you can see all other parts of the world are doing the exact same thing and digital payment could be easily monitored since all transaction are recorded which is what government really need to when it comes to taxing.

If their country is against cash and bitcoiun support is a good thing, according to their friend's article they only fight against cash starting next year but have not found information that they support bitcoin, but hi Hope they will quickly accept and support bitcoin in the near future.

There is nothing stated that they are into cryptocurrency or the government of Italy is a pro-bitcoin. They're just limiting the use of paper cash in their country. I don't know the reason, I am not from that country but maybe they're just aiming to adopt cashless transactions. Maybe a part of innovation in their country? I also don't think it's appropriate to call it as a war on cash since it's still their own currency. I mean, why would they fight on themselves?

It isn't hard to get a bank account in Italy at all.

People use cash because they get a discount for using it (the vendor doesn't bother to charge VAT). Of course this upsets the government because they depend on VAT revenue.

Don't know if that's a complete good news overall.

More people will in fact start investing / buying Cryptocurrencies.
Price will get bigger and good for everyone. But what about the economy on Italy?

People will start getting poor, buy less and the economy will drastically decrease as people will tend to buy even lesser.

It can be a 2 knifed situation for them.

This is indeed a good step to encourage cashless-society, but I see for some points they seem excessive, some people will not be directly involved with bitcoin, they will move very slowly.

I also have not read the news about whether they are among the countries that will actively carry out tests on digital / crypto money, so the economic impetus that seems to open up further uses is only for sustainable methods of using fiat.

Of course I agree with this good news, that it will lift the growth of bitcoin / altcoin in the future, that what I know is that some countries have done the same thing as Italy, and many more companies or restaurants in supermarkets or malls will receive payments with digital currency ...

Could be Italy is being futuristic since the bitcoin was already recognized in Italy I think this is one of the best things to do to associate bitcoin in their country.
This have a significant effect in the future since they are adjusting in the bitcoin technology and cashless transaction surely a lot of people in Italy are getting expose in bitcoin and making the bitcoin community bigger.

Well if this is real thing happening already in their country, then it will be a great idea for all of us, it is really a good news that we don't need to prove something to the government as there are few countries who are regulating and legalizing crypto already, let's see the outcome in Italy hope it will success so that we can make them as an example.

If Italy did this for the benefit of many people, I guess they come to an idea that comfort to lot of people who has the heart to fulfill my what was needed to have in order to survive along the way. As bitcoin continued to improve the system of many people and other countries, then this should be pursued intensively. Being a pro bitcoin, has a lot of disadvantage and advantages so its always a matter of perspectives.

There is only 1 real news to be discussed= Italy is now anti cash. There isn't anything pro bitcoin with that news...

@codegnome = in italy we have euro...

that's my interpretation too. people are trying to say that the government being anti-cash means they are pro digital payments = pro bitcoin. i don't buy that for a second.

they are penalizing merchants who don't accept debit/credit card payments. i don't see them doing that with bitcoin. :)

Cash is preferred here most of the time but the government is planning to change all the transaction digitally for a long time and this is not a recent news as they are implementing a limit to spend physical cash but you can still make digital transactions but what i do not understand is that how come it will boost bitcoin, there are many fake articles coming out claiming that these cash limit will boost bitcoin, but what is the logic behind it  ::).


Hope you misinterpret things here, cashless does not mean bitcoin, taking all the fiat transaction digitally is what they mean by this. There is a huge difference between the two and stop spreading fake news.

These misinterpretations are done by online medias as a click bait to have more clicks and it has nothing to do with the facts, when China was talking about blockchain and how they are planning to implement them, all the shitty sites and the forum was filled with how China is finally embracing BTCitcoin and those news have nothing to do with the reality and so is the case with all the countries planning to implement physical fiat transactions restrictions, they are planning to force everyone to start using digital fiat transactions to have a better grip over the citizens and to monitor all their financial transactions and that does not mean that they will be accepting BTCitcoin.

Anticash- Government limiting the use of paper notes and coins

Digital transaction- Netbanking, UPI, cards payment and so on.

Hope anyone can identify the difference :P.

Exactly, it's funny to see how wild people's interpretation could be and even talking about something that's not happening. Italy forcing people to use digital payment which i'm sure it's credit card issued by bank or some kind so that they could easily have a control over it and crypto is definitely not the thing they want.

This is step forward taken by Italian government, but in reality this can't be kept under control. Most of countries earlier has gone cashless, but those haven't made everything precise, even now cash usage is limitless. The initiative taken is good, and the outcome needs to be effective. This is possible out of perfect execution of the plan. This will give positivity among the users to make use of cryptocurrencies.

The problem here is that, OP's post doesn't show the clear details on what particular digital payment is proposed, and I see, Government will not push cryptocurrency just because they don't like the cash or fiats that they have. Maybe they don't really like cryptocurrency at all. And why such a government will try to convince people to use or utilize technology that imposed risk to their greatest assets which are banks? None right, maybe we could straight things up here.

For some months it has been happening in Italy that many prefer to buy online with Bitcoin and not with Visa and Master Card credit cards, the mere fact of this type of operations was already affirming an adoption in the country and preference for technology and obviously for the fee.

It is not that it will be an anti-Fiat country and migrate everything to Bitcoin, because FIAT money is necessary, only that it has greater acceptance over bitcoin, compared to previous years it is a great achievement.

This is yet another sign of what governments and banks really want from you, they want to know every single thing that you do with your money and they are not going to stop until they do, fortunately for us bitcoin already exist and it has been in the market for more than 10 years and while we are still a minority I have no doubts that in the future people are going to realize the horrible system that has been put in place and they will eventually reject it.

The world is moving towards anti-cash, but it doesn’t equal to pro-Bitcoin, Bitcoin is still far from being daily money because of its fluctuation.

Italy has low cash transaction limits, what do they do if they have to pay for something over this limit? It's common almost everywhere in Europe for cash-heavy businesses to underreport their income, but not having a bank account at all is pretty rare.

Well, the main problem is those who don't have a bank account. and unreached people like in the countryside. changing the cash payment system to digital is good. it's just that, is the best option in crypto currency? because from some countries they don't choose crypto for other options. but making its own national currency based on the blockchain network. so I think crypto will still be accepted but it will not be the best option for transactions without a bank account.

yes he does because it was Media who's involved in this kind of misleading,they will make anything that can attract readers and this is the problem with topic starters here in forum.

they love to posts something that may lead to long conversation and exchanging opinion without even checking if the news is really valid or exaggerated.

italy is not that big fan of crypto so basically they are looking for more online transacting but not necessary mean its Bitcoin or crypto.
even if it is far from worldwide adoption at least we are seeing something positive right?fluctuation is indeed but there are also some coins that has stable features so some issues may be resolved soon.
anyway this is too early to tell,what is important that little by little we are moving forward.

But it will create more crypto users. Once they understand the benefit of dealing with crypto, I believe they will go for bitcoin or other alts. The convenience, the tx fee as compared to traditional ones, and the duration of transfer are only few of its advantages. I hope this move will truly pave the way to more crypto adoption.

That is the reality. A country that does not encourage the use of huge cash does not at all suggest nor encourage its people to use Bitcoin or cryptocurrency.

Anti-cash is even the wrong term here. Italy is not anti-cash. That is a misleading terminology used. They are pro-cash because they are not abolishing it or planning to replace it with something else. But they need to limit the spending to put order into their country.

Anti-cash is not even good news. It is good news if Italy is anti-fiat.

The authorities need a full transition to non-cash payments in order to control all payments of individuals, and it will be easier for tax authorities to track people. But also the government will be able to sell to suppliers of goods and services information about what goods and services are in great demand in a particular area of the city. This will be convenient for both business and consumer. Non-cash payments are more convenient, especially if they are made through cryptocurrency.

In Italy there are some laws also against mafia, against not official workers etc... I think this can explain a lot of things...

The anti cash politics will not solve the problem of cash payment :) just another way to force people (HONEST PEOPLE) to pay a lot of transaction fees to bank and credit card issuer.

Yeah clearly there is a lot of mistaken definitions and the same is happening in Greece, people still associate cash with fiat, but they should just say paper money to take away all doubt. Paper money is basically going to be phased out one day when the entire world goes digital and even in India they are now beginning to try and move everything to ecash.

Nothing new here. Anti cash just means anti paper.

It sounds more like they want to keep their eye on taxes. Using cash-only business is easy to not pay as much tax as you should be paying. If the penalize businesses for this they will be under the radar and have to pay a penalty. You should be able to take payment in whatever you want to since after all, it is yours to sell or your service to offer in exchange for something you want. Im not sure if this is so much of a movement towards crypto usage as it is about control.

It's great that more countries are already inclined into crypto and has turned cash into a cashless society. But my question is are those countries will use bitcoin or ethereum for digital payments? I guess they will also create their own cryptos and not just rely on bitcoin and ethereum for digital payments.

Avoidance of too much cash in transactions cannot be immediately equated to their preference of cryptocurrencies as the case of Italy is all about. The avoidance of too much cash in transactions are taken primarily to limit illegal transactions which are mostly using cash. The country is choosing to develop more on the cashless transactions. But we need to remind ourselves that cashless transactions do not mean crypto transactions. It is basically card transactions. Just the same, it uses fiat.

LOL Have you read this topic, the news linked or any coment here?
People continue to spam " great news wowwow" etc etc..... such a low quality of discussion :(

I can understand you!
It's a pain to see people who can't show where your country is situated on a map talking about, right?
I've been through this also, people shitposting and acting like they know better or some that are even contradicting you.

Just the other day I saw such a guy posting crap like "Zurich is popular in Switzerland"  ;D Is Rome popular in Italy?  ;D
Back somewhat on-topic


There is a simple way to limit cash transactions but unfortunately in Italy, it won't work that good because of the euro.
Banks could limit the number of banknotes over 5 euros they give out and put a #% tax on cash deposits for business when they deposit cash each day at the bank.Of course, at first, the reaction will be the opposite as businesses will try to store cash and avoid banks but larger operations will soon need to make payments to giant etailers who don't deal in cash and once the river starts flowing the shortage will affect the small business also.
Also, I want to see the mafia bribing and dealing with 5 euros notes:)

There are many countries that discourage the use of cash and withdrawal of cash from banks. In my region, there is some tax on bank withdrawal above a certain limit and it's in practice even since before bitcoin came. I think Italy is doing the same and this doesn't mean they are moving towards Bitcoin.

I do agree that specific few countries are now pushing to implement digital payments. But yes, it doesn't mean they will accept or they are inclining towards Bitcoin.

When our country informed us that there might be a cryptocurrency of their own, everybody thought this would lead to Bitcoin and other crypto acceptance, but unfortunately, other cryptos are on the verge of being restricted from usage in our country.

So if a country is inclining towards digital payment, do not assume that Bitcoin and other cryptos will be implemented in the digital payment sector and this will grow the price.

Exactly like that, it will be a huge problem for BTC and the current altcoins. Most cryptocurrency-supporting countries intend to create an altcoin for their country, and they will not use BTC and altcoin as a payment method. I fear it will impact and crash the price of BTC and altcoin at the moment

If there is a restrictions from the government to spent physical cash then that does not mean that it will promote a decentralized currency, there are many benefits if you are an international trader rather than using conventional banking sector as it will help in saving a lot of money in an annual year and in the future we might see traders using these methods but it is early to view those.

I think this is good news for cryptocurrency for the country's future Italy is a country that is so advanced it will be very good for the price of bitcoin up also if the country Italia using bitcoin to country other is putting aside cash for cash right now is not so effective to purchase goods in marketplaces online. bitcoin could also be a solution for other countries.

You know why this is happening? Mainly to curb corruption and tax evasion. It's a little like what is happening in Greece. Now most restaurants etc have to use card and everything is processed electronically because they used to doge paying the V.A.T, so the last government stepped in to curb the mess. Everyone wants money, free healthcare, free education, infrastructure, defence etc, but no one wants to pay tax. I understand we all want to dodge the tax bullet legally, but this is the primary reason this is happening and countries are going digital. How it will affect Crypto and the use of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange? It might have a positive impact and only time will tell of course. It will be interesting to see the outcome, say over the next two to three years.

And the analogy OP made is quite pro bitcoin already. Because when people say they don't want cash, it means digital, and being digital not readily means its cryptocurrency. It could be through cards which is still handled by the banks. In that regards, cryptocurrency will just make the situation worse for the government and banks if people could see how it works, but if we are to look in a wider angle, all the ideas of the government is for the people, soon people will realize that their hate for paying taxes is one of the things that kills their nationalism.

That is definitely a tendency that we have seen during the last decades, but we do not really need the government to become supportive of bitcoin, we only need the people to be supportive of bitcoin, because at that point whatever regulations that governments decide to put in place will be ignored by the people and there is really not much that a government will be able to do at that point because people are going to be enjoying all the benefits of cryptocurrencies without the hassle of having to deal with the government.