We have long heard rumors that somewhere deep in Siberia there is a so-called "city of the future," where there allegedly has been no cash money for a long time, because it has been replaced by plastic cards with a [silicon] "chip."


We decided to go to Neryungri despite the freezing weather and distance. Of course, during our acquaintance with the realities of Neryungri, it became clear that rumors concerning the complete absence of cash in the city are still somewhat exaggerated, but what we managed to see shocked us. ...


The scale of use of cards indeed impresses. In a city of 70,000 people, 30,000 cards have already been issued. And this is not the limit, thinks the Neryungribank's chief of management, Sergei Yanygin. Even children have cards. ...


In the small town, which is possible to see in an hour, 152 terminals which accept the cards have been installed. There are terminals that accept the cards everywhere -- at the post office, in pharmacies, at kiosks, at service stations and even with vendors at the market. ...