Banknotes
Costa Rica to issue first polymer banknotes
Central bank will retain size and colour of existing notes to smooth transition to new substrate
Oman launches first denomination in new banknote series
New series incorporates improved security features and elements for the visually impaired
Covid-19 likely to affect return of paper £20 banknote – BoE
Central bank reports consumers are likely to hold onto old banknotes until they cease to be legal tender
Cash issuance in Botswana balloons 18% in 2019
Annual report shows banknote issuance growth for all denominations, despite rise in electronic payments
Angola to issue its first polymer banknotes
Governor says new banknote series will improve security and durability, and cut costs
Coronavirus panic fuels a surge in cash demand
Covid-19 has led to banknote hoarding in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the eurozone, Russia and the US, fuelled by concerns about financial system stress, write Jonathan Ashworth and Charles Goodhart
Trinidad and Tobago demonetisation hit illegal activities, central bank says
Financial Intelligence Unit recorded 900 reports of suspicious transactions in three-month window
Cash usage decreases as confidence in banks rises – research
Research included in MAS review flags importance of psychological factors in cash usage
Bank of Thailand advocates washing banknotes
Central bank says “mild detergent” or soapy water will be enough
Bank of England launches new £20 banknote
BoE says the new polymer note is the “most secure” it has issued
Bank of Korea stops handling overseas cash as coronavirus spreads
Central bank says it will not accept cash from abroad until further notice
RBI launches app to help visually impaired
App can be used by people with visual impairment to identify banknotes
China launches large-sum cash oversight trials
PBoC will run pilot tests on cash withdrawal monitoring, in crackdown on illicit activity
Rebel Libyan central bank issues more Russian-printed notes
Maltese security forces seize large shipment of banknotes meant for rebel territory
Cash delay worsens Zimbabwe’s economic woes
Distribution delays add to shortage of notes, with the value of cash rapidly eroding
Carney says new £20 note is ‘most secure yet’
Design unveiled today includes security feature combinations never before used on a UK banknote
ECB and Fed unite on global currency standard
The two central banks want to create the ‘USB of currency processing’
Albanian central bank introduces first polymer notes
Governor calls on parliament to approve draft law on improving payments systems
Kenyan high court dismisses challenge to new banknote series
Central bank had been accused of violating constitution with banknote designs
How data is driving a counter-revolution in cash
As the payments landscape undergoes far-reaching changes, central banks are mobilising new data tools and technologies to better understand and serve demands for physical currency
Modernising currency management
Central banks continue to strive to optimise currency operations at a time when the relative importance of cash is falling, but usage continues to grow. William Towning looks back at the last 30 years
Alan Turing to appear on new £50 note
Celebrated codebreaker and computer scientist chosen from a field of nearly 1,000 scientists
Venezuela introduces new banknotes as hyperinflation continues
New notes come less than a year after five zeroes were dropped from currency
Polymer banknotes caused sharp fall in UK counterfeits – BoE
Bank of England reports reduction from 1,000-plus fake notes a month to single figures