Standard Chartered CEO Predicts End Of Cash: ‘all Money Will Be...

Standard Chartered’s Bill Winters predicted a blockchain-driven future where every transaction settles digitally, calling it a total rewiring of finance.

Standard Chartered’s CEO predicted the end of cash and the digitization of all money, speaking at the Hong Kong FinTech Week 2025.

During the event, Standard Chartered Group CEO Bill Winters said that the bank shared a common belief with the Hong Kong leadership that all transactions will eventually be settled on the blockchain.

“All transactions will settle on blockchains eventually, and all money will be digital,” Winters said, framing the shift as nothing less than a “complete rewiring of the financial system.”

He added that while there’s a vision, they didn’t know exactly how the system would be rewired. Because of this, experimentation is necessary, and Hong Kong excels in this area. Winters credited Hong Kong regulators for striking a balance between experimentation and compliance, embracing innovation while maintaining safeguards.

“Hong Kong has already established that leading role,” Winters said. “I have every reason to believe it will continue to play that role.”

Apart from Standard Chartered’s prediction, HSBC Group CEO Georges Elhedery also brought up Hong Kong’s talent ecosystem during the discussion.

Elhedery cited the bank’s $13.6 billion investment proposal to privatize Hang Seng Bank as a vote of confidence in the region’s potential.

“This summarizes how much confidence and conviction we have in the outlook for Hong Kong’s financial and technology innovation,” Elhedery said.

He added that beyond banking infrastructure, HSBC is also investing in education and research.

Source: CoinTelegraph