Digital money – an implementation of micropayments

Abstract

This paper intends to describe the process of money development, the advantages of using it digitally and the difficulties this process is facing. It is focused on the concept of e-purses or e-wallets, describing one of the most successful forms of digital money, the Octopus (Hong Kong based). Its main goal is to help those who wish to study this   subject under a corporative strategy point of view. It presents the reasons that led to the development of the Octopus, the steps followed by the companies that manage it, the current situation and the future development perspectives. The paper presents some considerations on the opportunity of adopting other systems that are similar to the Octopus in highly populated areas, as well as the conditions required to its success.