Currency
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
JMW Turner to appear on new £20 banknote
Painter chosen from 590 British visual artists to adorn new polymer £20 note, after lengthy selection process; note scheduled to enter circulation by 2020
Women feature heavily on new US dollar designs
Final designs to be announced in 2020, Treasury secretary announces; while security features are yet to be announced, multiple historic female figures will be incorporated into designs
Fed’s Brainard highlights potential in distributed ledgers
Policy-makers cannot afford to ignore the possibilities new technology could offer clearing and settlement systems, Lael Brainard says