Currency
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331,000 counterfeit notes withdrawn in H1 2016 – ECB
Figures show 80% of all the counterfeits were €20 and €50 notes; number of total counterfeits withdrawn in first half of 2016 lower year on year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