Digital money, in a strict sense, has been with us for a long time. Fortunately, paying, transferring, or accumulating money is, in most cases, a process that no longer involves any physical exchange—neither coins nor bills—nor the use of traditional payment instruments such as checks, cheques, or promissory notes. All of these have been progressively replaced by card charges, transfers, and other transactions reflected only in accounting entries, without the physical movement of money.

Barcelona's Plaza Reial has hosted the Sunday stamp and coin market for over a hundred years. A century of history could disappear this fall. The reason: the City Council's new requirement for renewing licenses, which aims to align this activity with the rest of Catalonia's street markets. This would mean having to sign fifteen-year permits, instead of the annual license that stallholders have had until now. This type of concession poses a certain difficulty because most of them are over sixty years old. "We don't make a profit or live off of it; we're collectors and we do it because we like it," laments José María Ríos, president of the Plaça Reial Philatelic and Numismatic Association.