Financial Stability
Mexico awards software contract to ERAS
Mexico's central bank has awarded a contract to Miami-based bank software provider ERAS to drive a browser-based image clearing system for transmitting check items in Mexico, reports Business News Americas. The central bank's clearing arm CECOBAN will…
Intro of electronic funds transfer cheers BNZ
The central bank of Zambia's Currency and Payments Systems Director Morris Mulomba has said despite the important role cash plays in the economy, it is neither prudent nor convenient to pay for goods using cash, according to Zambia News Agency. He urged…
Riksbank makes statement on 'banknote discrepancy'
Sveriges Riksbank, the central bank of Sweden, released a statement on Friday 14 November regarding a discrepancy which had been discovered in a delivery of new banknotes from Crane AB to the Riksbank's subsidiary.
Zimbabwe clamps down on illegal FX
Police in Zimbabwe are stopping motorists with road blocks as part of a crackdown on illegal foreign currency trade, Reuters reports. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has also set up a unit to probe the flow of local bank-notes to neighbouring countries…
RBA interchange fees for credit cards lowered
The Reserve Bank of Australia said on 31 October that Bankcard, MasterCard and Visa credit card schemes have introduced lower interchange fees for credit card transactions in Australia.
Iran to print higher denomination notes
The central bank of Iran has said that it intends to print 20,000 rial banknotes, double the value of the current highest denomination banknote, according to AFP. The new notes will be issued in February next year.
Zimbabwe issues $150bn bearers' cheques
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe says it has so far issued $153 billion worth of bearers' cheques onto the cash-starved market, reports the Zimbabwe Independent. The bank however, refused to shed light on market speculation that it had stopped printing…
Visa drops action against RBA
Visa has dropped its appeal against the court ruling against it in the credit card reform action against the Reserve Bank of Australia, according to a report in the Herald Sun. The company's international board decided to quit the action after a meeting…
China to issue coins to commemorate Olympic games
The People's Bank of China is to issue a set of commemorative coins to mark the Olympic Games, which is to be held in Beijing in 2008, Xinhuanet reported.
Greenspan praises electronic checks bill
Speaking on Wednesday 29 October Alan Greenspan praised legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush on Tuesday that allows banks to clear checks electronically, potentially slashing paperwork. The law will let banks approve…
Sri Lanka to introduce secure cheque clearance
Sri Lanka is to introduce a secure cheque clearance system before the end of this year to speed up banking services. A government spokesman, reported by the Sri Lanka Daily News, said the system would be an essential of the government's project to…
MasterCard battles RBA over fees
MasterCard has begun legal action against the Reserve bank of Australia regarding the level of the company's interchange fees, reports the Australian Financial review. The RBA wants to bring MasterCard's interchange fee of 58 cents per $100 transaction…
Rwanda: Central bank to withdraw old bank notes
The Central Bank of Rwanda has decided to withdraw legal tender for old banknotes beginning December this year, according to The New Times. An official from the Central Bank said that new notes were already in circulation to replace old ones that had…
Zimbabwe withdraws travellers' cheques
The Zimbabwean government has ordered the withdrawal of its travellers' cheques, according to Business Day, barely two months after they were introduced to remedy the country's cash shortage. A senior central bank official said on Thursday 9 October that…
RBA credit card reforms: Visa/Mastercard to appeal
Visa and Mastercard said on Thursday 9 October that they would appeal against last month's Federal Court ruling which upheld credit card reforms by the Reserve Bank of Australia, according to a report by Dow Jones. Visa said that the RBA regulations give…
Central bank declares Afghani sole legal tender
From Tuesday October 8, Afghanistan will no longer accept the US dollar and other foreign currencies as legal tender, according to VOA News. Central Bank Governor Anwar ul-Haq Ahady said that new stability has allowed him to make the move, at last, to an…
ECB to study one and two euro coin option
The European Central Bank said on Tuesday 7 October that it will consider replacing one and two euro coins with notes following calls from some eurozone countries, according to Associated Press. Bank president Wim Duisenberg has agreed, the ECB said,…
Payment systems in Russia
The Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) has published, under the aegis of the Bank for International Settlements, a reference work on payment systems in Russia, known as the Red Book. As part of this series, the Foreword says, the first…
Calls for notes to replace low value euro coins
European finance ministers have called for the introduction of low value euro notes instead of coins to reduce pressure on inflation, according to a report in the Financial Times. The idea is that people do not value coins highly and are therefore more…
Iraq unveils new currency
Iraq's new Saddam Hussein free currency was displayed on Saturday 4 October by Ahmed Salman Mohammed, deputy governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, according to a report by CNN. The new banknotes will go into circulation on October 15.
Greece to mint 2 euro coin to help fund Olympics
Bank of Greece governor Nicholas Garganas announced on Monday 29 September that Greece will issue a commemorative 2 euro coin, according to a reporrt by Associated Press. Proceeds from the sale of coins will be used to help fund the 2004 Olympics which…
Report says Korean bank notes last longer
A report produced by the Bank of Korea says Korean bank notes are more durable than paper money from the USA, Canada and Britain, according to a report by Digital Chosun. The average durability of a W10,000 note was 54 months, much longer than the 18…
Fake euro coins hit Belgium
The National Bank of Belgium has found its first fake euro coins, according to Expatica News. The coins were discovered when a batch was returned to the central bank as stock. The fake one and two euros were described by the Treasury as of very high…
Fake Polish euros on sale on the internet
Fake sets of "collectors'" Polish euro coins are being sold on the internet, according to AFP. The "sample Polish Euros" were quickly dismissed by the National Bank of Poland who pointed out that it did not distribute such coins.