Right, this is an area I've studied in and without a doubt, COVID-19 has sped up the transition into a more technological society. A lot of the infrastructure and technology is already in place and being used but is not widespread as of yet due to resistance from technophobes and traditionalists.
A cashless society, stemming from a developmental one, represents a utopic future (per Braun) where transactions are more efficient and money is more secure. In fact, the debate revolving around the security of money is the likeliest reason as to why we will transition to a cashless society. COVID-19 is, as aforementioned, the trigger to speed up this transition, rather than the cause of it. Secure, encrypted money is less likely to be lost, hence in part the rise of bitcoin and mining.
I understand this isn't entirely on topic as I don't have access to the entirety of my writings on technological futures to hand, but I hope this was a different way of looking at it. You may not have access to many academic articles but ResearchGate is available and you can click on the PDF links when searching on Google Scholar to see different views ranging throughout academia. However any specific questions I can have a go at answering.
