I don't think banks are super secure, I feel like a lot of Internet banking sites have really bad IT security? Can't even use a strong password for some, though I don't know if it's just my part of the world.

Often, so I feel in my part of the world, the transaction limits on accounts are way too high too, even at the lowest ones.

There's supposed to be "2 factor authentication" true, but I bet people can crack the algorithms? Just like how folks have cracked software licence code algorithms for MS Office before Office went cloud-based. Plus it's easy enough to scare people so they'll give you their "one time password".

There's plenty of places near my current apartment where paying through scanning a QR code with your smartphone is impossible for folks on certain telcos due to bad signal and lack of cell towers, despite how it's not at all rural but high density apartment blocks and shops in a little cluster.

Often enough, cards aren't accepted by these shops too because accepting cards costs them. So I use cash quite a lot for daily living.

The only difference is more automated machines at (in person) cashiers to count the coins and notes in a "hands free" manner due to the pandemic.

A number of Aaian countries, including my own, made contact tracing apps mandatory during this pandemic. Yeah, and I'm not surprised that data is indeed used by the police etc.