Tanzania, Aug. 27 -- Unguja. For years, cash has been at the centre of everyday transactions in Zanzibar. From paying for a bus ride and buying food at a neighbourhood shop to settling bills and sending money to family, notes and coins have remained a familiar part of daily life. But a quiet shift is taking place.

Increasingly, some of those transactions are moving from physical cash to mobile phones, digital wallets and smart cards, bringing cashless payments closer to the everyday routines of ordinary consumers.

One of the clearest examples is now visible on Zanzibar's roads, where the newly introduced electric bus service has brought with it a payment experience significantly different from the traditional daladala journey.

Instead ...