Hong Kong slow to go cashless? Blame success of Octopus card, minister says
Commerce chief Edward Yau says city stopped exploring new options after introduction of popular payment system for public transport
Hong Kong is lagging behind mainland China in becoming a cashless society because the city’s first such payment option, the contactless Octopus card, was so successful that the city stopped exploring more options, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah has said.
Speaking to the Post, the minister said Hongkongers should be receptive to technology, but the government cannot simply “dictate” that they use e-payment.
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“I think that for sure, that’s an area Hong Kong has already lagged behind in terms of technology,” Yau said when asked if he could see the city going cashless like the mainland has.
“You can say that we are the victim of our own success, having the Octopus so well developed, and therefore we’ll not be able to pick up the latest technology.”
