Not to Use Cash, DANA, GoPay & LinkAja Harvest Transactions

WHO urges people not to use cash to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. The financial technology company (fintech) for payment of DANA also noted an increase, after the announcement of two Depok residents who were positive covid-19.

Whereas LinkAja said that there was no change. Chief Communications Officer (CCO) DANA Chrisma Albandjar said the transaction had dropped when the announcement of two residents infected with the coronavirus on Monday (2/3). However, afterward, DANA recorded a significant increase in transactions.

“Bills and pulses contributed significantly to the more than 11% increase in FUNDS transactions,” Chrisma said to Katadata.co.id, Friday (6/3) evening. Currently, DANA is attracting more than 35 million users in Indonesia.

He did not explicitly mention that the increase was due to concerns related to the coronavirus. “DANA users can trade directly and realtime anywhere and anytime, so they don’t have to leave home,” he said.

Meanwhile, LinkAja’s Head of Brand and Marketing Communication Group Ignatius Untung conveyed that there were no anomalies in both the increase and decrease in transactions.

“It seems unlikely there will be an impact on the transaction. After all, there is no reason for more people or reducing transactions due to corona, “he said.

Health Transactions Using GoPay Are Expected to Increase

However, GoPay SVP Marketing Timothius Martin estimates that the transaction will increase, especially health services. “The health services available in the Gojek, Halodoc and several of our other partners are likely to increase (transactions),” Timothius said in Jakarta, Thursday (5/3).

Meanwhile, GoPay is a digital wallet that is the most trusted and widely used digital wallet application. “At the moment, GoPay is the most desirable digital wallet, with 58 percent of applicants, while OVO 29 percent, 9 percent funding, and LinkAja 4 percent,” he said in Jakarta, Wednesday (02/12/2020).

Olivia explained, based on the Ipsos study, Gopay’s market share of the overall digital wallet market share reached 60 percent. The percentage of users who use Gopay repeatedly reaches 53 percent.

In addition, as many as 55 percents of respondents choose Gopay as their first choice digital wallet. For OVO, the number of users who use it repeatedly was 53 percent and users who chose OVO as the main choice were 28 percent.

“These funds and LinkAja are new, right. If user funds that use repetitive amounts to 11 percent and choose as the primary choice there are 11 percent too. Well, if LinkAja is if I am not mistaken T-Cash used to be, the number of users who use it repeatedly and choose LinkAja as the first choice, there are 6 percent, “he explained.

Although Potential to Carry a Virus, Cash is Not Harmful

Quoted from The Telegraph, covid-19 might be able to stick to the surface of banknotes for several days. There is no research related to it. Cash can carry bacteria and viruses, as stated by the Bank of England.

Therefore, WHO urges consumers to wash their hands after touching cash. In the middle of last month, China’s central bank destroyed cash that could potentially be infected with the coronavirus. Destroyed banknotes are mainly from high-risk areas infected by co-19 such as Wuhan, hospitals, and markets.

All banks in China were asked to clean cash with disinfectants, ultraviolet rays and placed in high-temperature rooms. Then, the money must be kept for seven to 14 days before being released to consumers.

Quoted from CNN International, covid-19 cannot be transmitted through inanimate objects. However, sufferers can transmit the coronavirus through fluids such as droplets or small particles from the mouth or sweat when handling inanimate objects.

According to a study in New York in 2017, cash found animal DNA, traces of drugs, bacteria to viruses. Even so, that does not mean cash is harmful to health.