Accenture: Who will deliver the digital cash society?

Whatever system or systems replace cash, it could, because of its convenience and ubiquity, replace credit cards and checks as well. The owners of digital transactions could then levy a „toll‰ (almost invisible to the consumer) on billions of transactions, and could build even more lucrative businesses related to the transaction˜exactly as credit card companies have done. What is more, companies at the center of multiple transactions will be in an extraordinary position˜extraordinary because owning retail transactions, for instance, would provide insight into the flow of transactions. And that information can be leveraged with sellers and suppliers in the areas of customer insight and supply chain management.

Here's the authors' punchline:

Overall, mobile devices, with their widespread use and built-in network connections, seem to have the competitive edge˜but the battle is not over, and the "best" technology does not always prevail.