There have been periods in the past, and this was true for much of the 2000s, when capital inflows were dominated by flows into the equity markets. In other words, capital was attracted by growth prospects rather than interest rate yield differentials.
It is true that, when travelling or even living in a foreign country, one of the things that takes some getting used to is local payment habits and standards. When taking up office at the ECB in Frankfurt, I, too, had to open an extra bank account for my German payments and acquaint myself with German payment rules, standards and practices.