News/Currency
Angola to issue its first polymer banknotes
Governor says new banknote series will improve security and durability, and cut costs
Bank of Korea sets up digital innovation division
Korean central bank aims to increase CBDC research and create new statistics system
Covid-19 must not cause ‘technological lockout’, says RBA’s Bullock
Merchants could be hit if dual pricing is unavailable for mobile payments, deputy governor says
Cash usage decreases as confidence in banks rises – research
Research included in MAS review flags importance of psychological factors in cash usage
Bank of Canada developing CBDC ‘contingency plan’
Central bank could issue CBDC if private sector alternatives become quickly dominant, deputy governor says
Bank of England launches new £20 banknote
BoE says the new polymer note is the “most secure” it has issued
Brexit coin to finally enter circulation
Royal Mint will release 10 million commemorative 50p coins
RBA says it will replace banknotes ‘completely destroyed’ in bushfires
Central bank prepares for influx of damaged banknotes and continues to make “fire-related” emergency payments
PBoC signs currency settlement agreement with Laos
Agreement comes as Chinese authorities push for increased international use of renminbi
Banque de France to launch CBDC experiments in 2020
De Galhau says new directorate will look at using wholesale CBDC in transactions for tokenised assets
ECB welcomes Swedish draft law to order banks to supply cash
Proposed law follows Riksbank’s warnings on risks of Sweden’s rapid move away from cash
De La Rue faces uncertain future as profits collapse
Profits plummet 87% as firm scrambles to cut costs
China launches large-sum cash oversight trials
PBoC will run pilot tests on cash withdrawal monitoring, in crackdown on illicit activity
Rebel Libyan central bank issues more Russian-printed notes
Maltese security forces seize large shipment of banknotes meant for rebel territory
Cash delay worsens Zimbabwe’s economic woes
Distribution delays add to shortage of notes, with the value of cash rapidly eroding
Barbados-based firm hopes to become world’s CBDC provider
Bitt founder shares his ambitions to create a global CBDC settlement network
Cash increasingly used as store of value – BIS report
Cash “still king”, BIS authors say, but electronic payments are taking a bigger share of transactions
Rwanda central bank spearheading cashless movement
Central bank reports e-payments have increased to 34.6% of GDP, but says there is still work to be done