Jon Prideaux, who launched his Virtual Visa at a card fair in Paris this week, says that charge-backs due to the Internet run at between ten and 40 times the level of charge-backs in face-to-face transactions.

ECONOMIST: Paying online

Currently, transactions within the shadow economy have to be made face to face, but an electronic System D currency would enable remote and even cross-border transactions.

FORBES: Could Bitcoin Become the Currency of System D?

The industry has been on the back foot in the face of these trends with sales - excluding door-to-door transactions - at their lowest level in a decade.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Mail order looks beyond the printed page

Both countries face risks when it comes to protecting personal data and communications, financial transactions, critical infrastructure, or the intellectual property and trade secrets that are so vital to innovation and economic growth.

WHITEHOUSE: The White House

But Vatican coins featuring the smiling face of Pope John Paul II are more likely to be snapped up by collectors than to be used for mundane transactions.

BBC: Mini-states gear up for euro

You want to move pure transactions to the Internet, use online communication for information sharing and routine communication, and reserve face-to-face interaction for the activities that add the most value.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia