Currency 2022
Marks (and sizes and colours) of distinction
Many central banks make an effort to make cash accessible to blind and partially sighted users
Currency Benchmarks 2022 report – a slow evolution continues
Cash usage persists, polymer makes advances and volumes are expected to rise
Banknote volumes and values rose among most central banks
Most recent estimates show volume and value of circulating notes rising in 2022
Banks receive widely varying volumes of damaged cash
Central banks share data on values and volumes of mutilated currency
Most jurisdictions have not withdrawn denominations in past five years
Thirty-two central banks have an average of six denominations in circulation
Central bank boards most often make decisions on banknote imagery
Banknotes image types vary from recognised figures to natural phenomena
Majority of central banks have access-to-cash policies
More than two-fifths require a minimum level of cash services from banks
Counterfeit banknotes removed from circulation average $425,000
UV ink and intaglio printing are most common security features
Banknotes generally have at least one aid for visually impaired
Raised inks are most common feature, followed by making denominations different sizes
Few central banks use big data tools to forecast currency demand
Forecasting is very common, while few expect big changes in currency needs for 2023
Banknote contagion measures reduced in 2022
Participating institutions say coronavirus has shaped currency demand
Paper-based banknotes still outnumber polymer substrates
Most banks do not plan adoption of new substrates
Cash usage drops further to an average of 42.5% across jurisdictions
Just one African institution and a European jurisdiction experience growth in cash payments
Fewer central banks report climate strategy
Incineration still most common practice among institutions recycling banknotes
Central banks have fewer cash distribution centres on average
However, some have added processing facilities in last five years
Most central banks do not own their own printworks
Fewer than a quarter report operating printing plants and two-thirds say they outsource
Most central banks plan no new banknotes in near future
Fewer than a quarter of banks plan new notes in next five years