ANKARA: After the embattled Turkish lira weakened against the US dollar this week, Turks remain troubled over the economy despite the government’s reassurances.
The lira’s drama worsened on Wednesday when Japanese investors sold Turkish assets, after comments by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spooked investors earlier in May.
The lira hit 4.92 against the dollar before paring back some of its losses on Wednesday after an emergency central bank interest rate hike, but for many it’s not enough.
In a busy bureau de change on one of Ankara’s popular streets, thoughts turn to the worsening situation and fears that the country is already in a “currency crisis,” as experts at Commerzbank have described it.
During AFP’s visit, dozens came in to change their liras into gold, dollars and euros.
Ali Yilik indicated he was not convinced by Ankara’s reassurances as he changed his money into dollars for work.
“Who wouldn’t be worried about the exchange rate (situation)? This is not something that happens in normal conditions. It is extraordinary,” Yilik, who sells construction material, said.
Ali’s son Yahya Yilik, who is the manager at Tunali Doviz, said more Turks were coming in buying euros and dollars amid worries that the lira would fall further.
“They think the lira will keep losing value,” Yilik told AFP, adding that interest rate increases were a “temporary measure.”
In the past “one or two weeks,” the manager said the center had sold more foreign exchange than those wanting to buy lira.
The fall followed Erdogan comments during his UK visit mid-May when he indicated he wanted a greater say in monetary policy if he won in June 24 polls. This then raised concerns over economic policy becoming more unpredictable.
Student Necdet Guven was in the bureau de change to obtain dollars ahead of a trip to the US in mid-June but said he was “really worried” about the economy.
“Because everyday our economy gets worse. In the past, Turkey used to be among the top countries for agriculture and livestock, but now we import meat from Serbia and straw from Russia,” Guven lamented.
“We are not that developed a country in terms of industry,” he added, saying he believed Turkey had the potential to develop the economy further.
The lira appeared to show no signs of dramatic improvement and was at 4.70 against the dollar on Friday. In the past month, the lira has lost over 16 percent of its value against the greenback.
In a bid to ease concerns, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek — an ex Merrill Lynch economist trusted by markets — on Friday said the central bank “would do whatever is necessary” during an interview with NTV broadcaster.
“There is no question of taking steps back on either the independence of the central bank or the rule-based market economy,” Simsek vowed.
But not everyone looked at the situation pessimistically.
Orhan Albayrak said the euro and dollar’s value was increasing because of “outside forces’ economic pressure on Turkey,” adding there was “an artificial rise.”
But Albayrak, a wholesaler, was hopeful the lira’s fortunes would improve toward the date of the presidential and parliamentary elections.
“But when there are five, 10 days to the elections, I believe this increase will reverse,” he added.
Albayrak said the three percent key rate rise had some impact, but believed the lira could improve and “reach 4.2, 4.3” with further central bank moves supported by the government.
After the rate hike on Wednesday evening, Erdogan insisted Turkey would adhere to the global governance principles on monetary policy in the new system post-election.
But, Erdogan added he would not let those principles “finish our country off.”
Despite efforts to stop lira fall, Turks still worried
Despite efforts to stop lira fall, Turks still worried
Cashless societies becoming worldwide trend
RABAT: Imagine carrying cash but being unable to use it. The problem is not with the money, the product, or even the customer — it is the store, confronting shoppers at the checkout with a sign declaring: “Card or digital payment only.”
According to Al-Eqtisadiah, this scenario is no longer a scene from a movie; it is increasingly common worldwide. Many societies are moving toward cashless systems, replacing paper and coin money, cheques, and promissory notes with digital wallets, bank cards, and smart payment apps.
Building cashless societies
Traditional money, whether coins or notes, is rapidly becoming a relic in some countries — particularly those that developed digital infrastructures and financial systems early to support cashless transactions. Payments are now made electronically through credit and debit cards, digital wallets, and other contactless methods.
According to a report by Zimpler, some societies have reduced cash transactions to just 5 percent of all payments. Almost everything, from taxi rides to a cup of coffee, and even donations at local churches, is paid digitally. In China’s Shandong province, even beggars carry containers with QR codes for digital donations.
Sweden leads the cashless movement, with 99 percent of transactions conducted digitally. The law allows businesses to refuse cash outright, limiting cash payments to just 1 percent of total transactions.
Even street vendors no longer accept coins or banknotes. This success stems from Sweden’s early adoption of digital infrastructure, including the launch and widespread promotion of the Swish app in 2012, which reshaped public perception of traditional money.
A global decline in cash
The shift away from cash is a worldwide trend, according to Visual Capitalist. Countries at the forefront include Finland, China, and South Korea, as well as Denmark, the UK, Australia, and the Netherlands.
In the Arab world, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are leading the way, though progress varies depending on each nation’s digital infrastructure.
Digital payments: benefits and risks
The move toward digital payments is no longer a projection of cashless advocates; it is a reality, confirmed by the British printing firm De La Rue.
Research firm Edison Group notes that the company now faces an uncertain future as digital adoption accelerates, after previously producing 36 percent of the world’s currency.
The appeal of digital payments lies in the advantages they offer users. Digital transactions eliminate theft risks, prompting widespread adoption. For example, a late-night robbery in south London led a restaurant owner to stop accepting cash altogether.
Electronic money provides speed and convenience while protecting users from counterfeit notes, loss, damage, and other risks that threaten traditional cash. Governments also benefit, reducing printing costs, limiting visible tax evasion, and making money laundering easier to trace.
The figurative sentence, “Cash has become like a dinosaur, but it will remain,” is often cited by experts and financial consultants who question the notion of the “death of cash,” seeing it as a slogan promoted by major corporations to convince people that digital money is the currency of the present and future.
