back to this a little bit later … smartphones : changes in user and payment behaviour it is not just the newcomers that are disrupting the payments space – consumers ’ user behaviour is having a transformational impact, too. the use of cashless payment methods is growing rapidly, as confirmed by our annual payment statistics. for example, the number of cashless payments in the euro area increased by almost 8 % [ 3 ] last year alone, due, no doubt, in part to the growing trend to go digital. for now, though, cash reigns supreme as the undisputed number one means of payment for the german general public. they still go delving into their wallets for coins and notes and settle three out of four payments in cash. that is one of the key findings from the payment behaviour study which the bundesbank conducts every three years, most recently in 2017. german people quite simply like paying in cash. as mentioned at the start, japan and germany are very similar in this respect. figures vary from one source to the next, of course, but i have read that cash is used in between 62 % [ 4 ] and 80 % [ 5 ] of transactions in japan – and that is not too far off the german figures. yet, the picture is also changing in japan. for instance, your prime minister has announced plans to increase the share of cashless payments to around 40 % by 2025. particularly popular in germany are proving to be contactless payments using a debit card. although most of these transactions are still settled in the traditional way with a physical card present, tech - savvy individuals, and frequent and keen smartphone users are increasingly using their phones to pay at the point - of - sale. the topic of mobile payments is gaining more momentum by the day in germany, and there is little doubt that it will also reduce the use of cash further. alongside google pay and apple pay, the german savings banks and cooperative banks have also launched mobile payment methods of their own, for use primarily in peer - to - peer ( p2p ) payments and as a digital debit card. the topic of smartphone payments, then, is being pushed by both bigtech firms and banks. and this is certainly a wise move – after all, smartphones will be more indispensable still among the customers of the future – that is, the younger generation. and precisely for that reason that all providers need to attach particularly high importance to the aspect of security

session by quoting from on the origin of species by british naturalist charles darwin : " it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives ; it is not the strongest that survives ; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself. " 1 baku hit by widespread flooding ( msn. com ). 2 what to know about the floods that killed over 200 in spain | time. 3 finance & prosperity 2024 ( worldbank. org ). 4 finance & prosperity 2024 ( worldbank. org ) / the stated figures are from 2022. 5 adaptation gap report 2024 | unep - un environment programme. 3 / 4 bis - central bankers'speeches 6 ngfs conceptual note on adaptation, november 2024. 7 world bank, 2019 open knowledge repository ( worldbank. org ). 8 standard chartered / kpmg / undrr, 2024, guide for adaptation and resilience finance | undrr. 9 global commission on adaptation, september 2019, adapt now : a global call for leadership on climate resilience - global center on adaptation ( gca. org ). 4 / 4 bis - central bankers'speeches