Ecash
     
         A trial form of {electronic funds transfer} over
        the {Internet} (and soon by {electronic mail}).
     
        The ecash software stores digital money, signed by a bank, on
        the user's local computer.  The user can spend the digital
        money at any shop accepting ecash, without the trouble of
        having to open an account there first, or having to transmit
        credit card numbers.  The shop just has to accept the money,
        and deposit it at the bank.  The security is provided by a
        {public-key} {digital signature}.
     
        There process involves the issuing banks who exchange real
        money for ecash, users who have and spend ecash, shops who
        accept ecash payments, and clearing banks who clear payments
        received by shops.
     
        At the moment, all users and shops must have an account at
        {DigiCash}'s own bank, the "First Digital Bank" at
        bank.digicash.com.  They can withdraw money from the bank, and
        convert it to ecash.  Shops can be started by any ecash user.
     
        {Home (http://www.digicash.com/ecash/ecash-home.html)}.
     
        (1995-04-10)