Got a secret euro stash under your mattress? That just got a whole lot trickier, and it's all thanks to a tiny island nation.
Malta just passed a groundbreaking law banning cash payments over €10,000, and while you may not live there, this isn't just their problem. Financial experts warn this is the test run for the rest of the European Union—and eventually, America. What starts as a "luxury tax on the rich" in Malta quickly becomes a digital-only surveillance state for your wallet here, making it harder to buy a used car, pay a contractor, or even give a large gift without the government tracking every cent. Your privacy is about to cost you a convenience fee.