In a reflection of the times we live in, Hasbro announced a new version of Monopoly the other day with no cash and no banker, but a focus upon a digital wallet. It should be available from most major retailers in August 2025. Spotting the announcement my friend (1) Post | LinkedIn says that the main elements include:
1. Cashless; There will be no access to cash in this new game. No opportunity for cheating by sneaking in your own cash. A sensible approach to mitigate money laundering, and track sources of funds should lead to better outcomes. But I will not be alone in needing to learn new Monopoly strategies.
2. Digital Wallets; The players must all download an app, like a digital wallet. This will only be available from one supplier - Monopoly. Not sure if it will be available for both Android and iOS. I can understand that a single wallet could promote a common understanding, but I’d hope that players could choose optional wallets and payment instruments in future.
3. Account-to-Account, not Cards; The players can select a virtual bank account (matched to their player identity) for their wallet - I like this feature; it’s a nod to A2A payments initiated from digital wallets becoming a viable option to cards. It also supersedes Monopoly’s previous venture into cashless, "Monopoly Ultimate Banking” which had a very card-centric approach.
4. Payment Initiation; The user experience will rely on a user “scanning” their purchase. This is not QR-Code based; they are using a contactless “tap and go” scenario. NFC maybe? Confusingly though, Monopoly is teaching players to “scan your card to buy”. This is a confusing inversion.
5. Disintermediation of Bankers; There is no role for a banker in this version of Monopoly. No one will need to count cash or to intermediate transactions and disputes. There will be limited opportunities for pilfering, rake-offs and one-sided negotiations. The only centralising authority here is Monopoly. Again, new player strategies will be needed.
6. Payments and Assets in a linked settlement system; This Monopoly approach to payments also extends to assets. When a player, verified by their wallet, elects to buy property, their ownership rights and contracts for rents are handled by the new platform too. Is this interplay of virtual assets a bit like the Regulated Liability Network for tracking and settling virtual assets? I’m not sure when RLN will support Delivery versus Payment (DvP) for real deliverables but the Monopoly version seems to have nailed it for transfers of houses and hotels.
My pre-order is loaded already, but I'm still keeping my old Monopoly as the bank notes are useful for trading with my children as they don't realise they're not real! Meanwhile, when I searched for Monopoly banking, I also found contactless card and voice recognition versions. Hasbro are pretty innovative when it comes to a game invented in 1903.