China Goes Cashless

Available for over a year

China is at the cutting edge of a global shift from cash to mobile phone payments technology. Ed Butler visits the city of Hangzhou to find out why. Local student Xinyi explains why she literally hasn't touched cash in a year, while mall owner Ronnie Wong describes how apps like Alipay and WeChat are transforming the Kerry Centre shopping mall that he runs. Ed also speaks to Matt Brennan, who lives in China and runs a consultancy devoted entirely to exploiting WeChat’s commercial potential. Plus Anna Wang of Ant Financial explains how they are spreading their Alipay app all around the world. Producer: Laurence Knight (Picture: Busker's suitcase in China with cash and QR code for mobile payments; Credit: BBC)