Currency exchange shops, once a ubiquitous feature of Hong Kong’s retail landscape, are in a gradual, irreversible decline, with their closure precipitated by the pandemic, stricter licensing regulations and adoption of an array of convenient digital payment systems. The number of registered currency exchange shops in the city has more than halved to around 1,050 from a peak of nearly 2,500 in 2018, before the social unrest and border closures brought tourism to a standstill for three years,...