Bank of Canada asks for public input on a digital Canadian dollar

The Bank of Canada seeks public feedback on a potential digital Canadian dollar. The central bank says it has no immediate plans to issue a national digital currency, but it wants to be prepared for the future. It says a digital Canadian dollar would ensure that everyone can participate in the economy, even if cash becomes less popular or cryptocurrencies become more competitive. The bank also promises to keep issuing banknotes for those who prefer them. “Cash isn’t going anywhere,” it says.

The survey is a standard online questionnaire that you can access here. It asks how you would likely use digital currency, your concerns about accessibility and privacy, and which security features you need. The bank assures Canadians that their feedback “will be kept anonymous, confidential, and be reported in aggregate only.”

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Survey: In-store shopping makes a comeback in Canada

Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels

It looks like 2021 is the year many Canadians are ready to do some in-store shopping. According to the 2021 Holiday Shopping Report from Accenture, 57% of Canadian consumers plan to do most of their holiday shopping in-store, and 75% plan to do their shopping in December, with 47% admitting they'll be doing a lot of last-minute shopping. Six out of 10 Gen Z consumers plan to do most of their holiday shopping in-stores, while 44% of baby boomers intend to do theirs online.

The baby boomers also intend to increase their spending by over $100, and those with children will spend the most. They are expected to spend an average of $713. While Canadians, on average, plan to spend $635, which is $119 up from last year's survey. An emerging trend across the demographics is increased support for BIPOC retailers, with 50% of Gen Z consumers supporting diverse retailers this year.

Here are some details on Samsung’s upcoming smartwatch/fitness tracker

Samsung has another wearable up its sleeve and we got information on it from an official survey by the company to members of its SmartLab Plus program. The wearable can be expected to be a smartwatch/fitness tracker of sorts as the survey describes it has taking “best bits from Gear S3 and Gear Fit 2.” It’ll feature thinner, replaceable straps and a smaller body. It’ll be waterproof in the sense that you can take it swimming with you. The wearable will also track your activities, help manage your weight, and provide some coaching tips. It can send you alerts to stay active while on a flight or to take breaks when driving. The survey doesn’t mention when we might see this device but if they’re thinking of promotional taglines for it already, we won’t be surprised if it shows up soon.

Source: GSMArena

Study reveals more people are willing to trade mobile privacy for free apps

More and more Canadians are reportedly foregoing privacy concerns when it comes to their mobile apps in place of free apps, according to a new survey from Norton. Symantec researchers found that there are a large number of apps that collect and send personal information to app developers, and you might not know this is happening.

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