The notes could be spent in local cafes and shops where they would be given out in change to residents. Businesses embraced the scheme with gusto — more than 600 signing up in Bristol alone. In 2021, however, the buzz has faded — in part due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has wiped out the use of cash. Most currencies are out of circulation now and remain nothing but a novelty — a sparkly collector's item resigned to scrapbooks rather than cash registers. But are they on the cusp of a digital renaissance? The pioneers of the Bristol and Brixton pounds certainly think so. Both organisations are experimenting with the possibility of relaunching their local currencies — this time on an app.