Currency
Indian train robbery sees nearly $1m in soiled banknotes snatched
Soiled banknotes destined for the RBI stolen from train on the way back from Salem; police investigating incident
Co-operation: The competitive edge against counterfeiting
A collaborative approach to banknote projects with trustworthy partners frees up time and resources, pools and mitigates risk, and helps to fulfil the most demanding expectations from stakeholders and the public. Most importantly, it decisively stiffens…
Sarb mulling changes to cash distribution process
South African Reserve Bank review finds ‘inefficiencies’ in current framework; changes could include alterations to the bank’s ‘branch footprint’ and supply chain
Liberia in line for new largest banknote
Liberia to have first new banknote series in 16 years, including a L$500 for the first time; all notes to be printed on a “higher-quality substrate”
Sri Lanka invites bids to mint 970 million coins
Central bank calling for four denominations of coin to be minted by end-March 2019; looking for mints with experience of supplying foreign countries with circulation coins
331,000 counterfeit notes withdrawn in H1 2016 – ECB
Figures show 80% of all the counterfeits were €20 and €50 notes; number of total counterfeits withdrawn in first half of 2016 lower year on year
‘Digital sterling’ could bring benefits but would reshape banking – BoE’s Broadbent
Bank of England deputy says central bank digital currency could entail a redesign of the banking system; research points to potential growth and stability benefits
Research explores lifting fingerprints from polymer notes
Team of scientists trial technique to ‘lift’ fingerprint from polymer surface; stress suitability of elemental copper for use in forensic examinations
Latvian central bank becomes lead authority on counterfeiting
New anti-counterfeiting centre will take over from police the task of detecting fake currency in all currencies; new approach will be more efficient and will not need more resources, bank says
Russian public to vote on new banknote designs
The 200 and 2,000 ruble notes will bear symbols of Russian cities voted on by public; winning designs announced in October 2016, notes to enter circulation in 2017
Bank of Canada experimenting with distributed ledger technology
Wilkins tells audience the Bank of Canada has “rolled up its sleeves” with regard to fintech; central bank testing “CAD-coin” in conjunction with private sector
South African rand and Chinese renminbi now tradable on CFETS
Bilateral trading between rand and renminbi will cut costs, Sarb's head of financial markets says, as China makes latest move towards renminbi internationalisation
Bank of England banknote first in the world to feature new foil technology
BoE launches new fiver with ‘Kinegram Colors’ technology taking centre stage; new note to enter circulation in September
Philippines central bank reveals counterfeiting arrests
Central bank says it was behind four successful anti-counterfeiting operations in Q1; has the legal authority to make arrests and seize property
Norges Bank reveals methods used to monitor banknote quality
Central bank to conduct ‘fitness surveys’ twice annually, analysing a host of variables to define which banknotes are suitable for circulation
Denmark outsources coin minting to Finland
Mint of Finland wins tender to produce krone coins, as National Bank of Denmark seeks to cut costs by closing down its coin and banknote operations
Antti Heinonen says cash is still relevant in modern society
Former ECB head of banknotes says cash is still evolving to keep pace with new payments technology, and banknote designs are staying ahead of counterfeiters
To play the counterfeiter
The Reproduction Research Centre in Copenhagen helps central banks to counterfeit colour-shifting technology and machine-readable codes on banknotes in a bid to reduce fraud
National Bank of Angola opens currency museum
The museum receives 2,000 visitors in its first four days; exhibits the history of the currency, from sea shells to today's banknote series
Bolivia to get new largest denomination banknote
New 500 boliviano note will be part of first new series in almost 30 years; central bank estimates the project will cost around $45 million
Norges Bank notes to feature innovative optical thread
Choice of security features swayed Norges Bank away from polymer; new series of notes to feature Crane security thread
Riksbank adviser Segendorf offers insight into distributed ledger technology
Financial stability adviser evaluates the benefits of adopting distributed ledger technology and what effect digital currencies will have on cash
ECB scraps production of €500 note citing concern over illicit activities
The European Central Bank will stop producing the €500 note over concerns it facilitates criminal activities; move does not aim to increase the effectiveness of monetary policy, spokesman says
Mersch sets out broad questions around distributed ledgers
Yves Mersch considers how access to central bank money could work if market infrastructure adopts the technology; ECB publishes paper on its application in post-trade market for securities