Financial Stability
SAMA awards ATM contract
CyberGuard Corporation, a technology leader in network security, announced Thursday that the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) has selected CyberGuard's premium firewall/VPN appliances to provide the information security for a new ATM network.
South Africa celebrates democracy with new coin
The South African Reserve Bank said on 27 July it is issuing a special commemorative R2 coin, celebrating 10 years of democracy in South Africa.
ECB information on the counterfeiting of the euro
In the first half of 2004, a total of 307,223 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation, the European Central Bank (ECB) said on 22 July.
Slovak central bank opens tender for euro designs
The Slovak National Bank (NBS) has called for proposals for the symbols to be featured on the euro coins to be used in Slovakia once the country adopts the single European currency.
Bank of Central Africa to use CMA payment system
The Bank of Central Africa is implementing a real-time gross settlement (RTGS) platform supplied by Stockholm-based CMA Small Systems.
India introduces mobile ATM
The State Bank of India on Saturday 11 July rolled out its first mobile ATM to improve accessibility to customers in remote areas and tourist locations in the country.
Viet Nam sees increased used of non-cash payments
Non-cash payments have become more popular in Viet Nam, accounting for 79 per cent of all payments at banks in the first six months of the year as against 77 percent in 2003, according to VNA.
New Hong Kong banknotes
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the three note-issuing banks (Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited) announced on 5 July the issue and unveiled…
Bank of Zambia implements Perago RTGS network
The Bank of Zambia has implemented an electronic funds transfer system supplied by Perago Financial System Enablers, according to FinExtra, to align the national banking industry with international standards for real-time gross settlement (RTGS).
Reform of card payment systems in Australia
The Reserve Bank of Australia is considering whether it would be in the public interest for it to designate the EFTPOS payment system and the ATM payment system in Australia. Doing so would be a precursor to the bank deciding whether to determine…
Conference on e-money to convene in Iran
The secretariat of the Supreme Council for Information Dissemination and the Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) will convene the first conference on e-money in Iran next month.
When Hong Kong trounced the speculators
The HKMA beat back speculators in 1998, but did its own fuzzy rules encourage them? Charles Calomiris reviews a new book on this famous episode.
A Bretton Woods that never was
Richard Roberts recalls the last official effort to create a coherent design for an international monetary system.
Africa's first polymer banknotes to stay
Africa's first and only polymer banknotes, issued by the Bank of Zambia, will remain in circulation despite their disappointing performance, the bank said Tuesday 11 May.
Russian rouble to get facelift
The Russian rouble is getting its first facelift in six years with the addition of four high-tech security features aimed at discouraging counterfeiters, Goznak, which prints the currency, said on Thursday 6 May.
Azerbaijan selects TietoEnator card system
The National Bank of Azerbaijan has contracted with TietoEnator for the supply of a payment card system, which will be deployed at a new national processing centre.
Logica implements Chile RTGS system
Logica announced on Thursday the successful implementation of its Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) System for the Banco Central de Chile (BCC), Chile's Central Bank.
Request for comment on payments system risk policy
The Federal Reserve Board on 21 April requested comment on proposed revisions to Part II of its Policy Statement on Payments System Risk (PSR Policy), which addresses risk management in payments and securities settlement systems.
Bank of Korea admits system crash
The Bank of Korea has confirmed that its computer network suffered an unprecedented five-hour crash on Friday reducing the central bank to executing transactions with faxes.
Silver euro unveiled to mark EU expansion
The European Union's Irish presidency unveiled a special 10-euro silver coin on Saturday minted to commemorate the bloc's upcoming historic enlargement.
Survey of developments in e-money
The Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) has published its March 2004 Survey of developments in electronic money and internet and mobile payments. In this survey the number of participating central banks and monetary authorities has…
Federal Reserve to close Columbia branch
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's regional office in Columbia will close in August, it was announced earlier this month.
RBI starts live operation of RTGS system
After a two-month trial, the Reserve Bank of India on Friday 26 March began live operations of the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system but only inter-bank transactions are being put through.
CBN issues new settlement system guidelines
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released guidelines on the new settlement system for the banking industry, scheduled to commence on the 1st of April.