With an increasing number of US businesses no longer accepting cash, Philadelphia - the City of Brotherly Love - is taking a stand to protect the so-called "unbanked" and will force merchants to accept greenbacks. It will be the first major US city to outright reject a trend that has seen more and more retail outlets, especially restaurants, move to only accept payments via credit or debit cards and mobile phones.
Consumers and businesses who support digital payments say they are faster and more practical, but opponents say such practices exclude the "unbanked" - those without bank accounts or credit cards. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney recently signed into law an amendment to the city's Fair Practices Ordinance prohibiting stores and restaurants from refusing to accept cash, calling it "unlawful discrimination."