[nemesisj]

This is one of those comments that is just so...American. I’m also an American, living in the UK, and the friction inherent in the USA banking system contributes to reverse culture shock. In pretty much any EU country I’ve been to you can pay anyone in seconds from any bank account, any amount, for free, just by knowing their account number and sort code. In the USA instead, banks spend millions trying to handle small pieces of paper (checks) with zero interest in modernising. Oh well.

[toddmorey]

Fair point that this may be a uniquely American problem, but it does point out that there's still a need for an international standard that works across the world. I'd like to be able to pay anyone worldwide without an unneeded intermediary like Facebook.