FMI
Bank Negara Malaysia MobileLINK bus begins tour
Malaysian central bank launches mobile customer service bus; part of efforts in promoting financial inclusion by extending the outreach programme to a wider community
Management of South African Mint Company suspended
South African Reserve Bank announces mystery 'technical issues' uncovered; top management suspended with immediate effect
CLS pushing 'transformation' agenda, says Bozian
Central settlement utility is feeding greater resources into expanding its universe of currencies, according to chief executive Alan Bozian
Kenyan parliament passes new payments regulation law
Central Bank of Kenya governor offers overview of 2011 for economy; reports on progress of National Payments System Bill
Austria's Nowotny under scrutiny in banknote bribery case
Governor Ewald Nowotny and members of the central bank’s supervisory board under investigation; accused of having knowledge of bribery of foreign officials in race to win banknote printing contracts
Venezuela begins gold repatriation
First shipment of Venezuelan gold reserves made; central bank says uncertainty in Europe was a factor in the decision to move the precious metal
Bank of England sets out code of practice on electronic trading
Members of the FX Joint Standing Committee comment on the recently reviewed Nips code, which includes a new section on electronic trading
Swaziland trains Revenue Authority cash collectors
Officers shown security features of banknotes introduced last year; participants travelled from all over the country to attend the training
ECB offers CSDs financial incentives for early T2S adoption
European Central Bank offers central securities depositories (CSDs) financial incentives to sign up to T2S early; governing council gives CSDs until the end of April to agree
Banque de France outsources collateral management
French central bank agrees collateral management deal with Euroclear France; entire French banking community will use new system next year
Barbados calms public fears over 'counterfeit' banknotes
The Central Bank of Barbados reassures public that notes dated 2007 but bearing the signature of the current governor are genuine; statement in response to several queries
UK Royal Mint unveils Olympic kilo coins
Royal Mint reveals design of first ever coins weighing one kilo; collectors' items designed by esteemed British artists
China and Hong Kong double currency swap agreement
Hong Kong and China double currency swap arrangement; Hong Kong pushes to remain number one offshore renminbi business centre while China proceeds with internationalisation of renminbi
Industry praises expansion of South Korea’s currency swap arrangements
Senior executives of large enterprises praise Bank of Korea for expanding currency swaplines with Japan and China; industry concerned about slowdown caused by eurozone crisis
Greek reversion to drachma easier than euro conversion, say analysts
If Greece were to leave the eurozone it would have to establish a new currency in record time; analysts explain how the process would be simpler today due to technological advances
Bank of Canada launches first polymer banknote
Bank of Canada issues first new polymer C$100 banknote into circulation; governor Mark Carney says new bills are at the frontier of banknote technology
Libyan treasure looted from commercial bank
Reports emerge from Libya's National Transitional Council that more than 7,000 coins were stolen from a commercial bank in Benghazi during conflict
Thai banks to 'scale down' operations as floods hit Bangkok
Central bank tells financial institutions to “scale down” to only essential operations in order to safeguard employees; inflation report shows contraction in Thai economy this year
Cash is still king in low-value transactions: Bank of Canada paper
Bank of Canada study shows cash is still used intensively for low-value transactions due to its speed, merchant acceptance and low costs
Iceland splits financial stability and payments department
Central Bank of Iceland splits financial stability and payments group into two distinct units to improve function; new director hired for financial stability department
European Payments Council raises concerns over Sepa regulation
Representatives from Europe's payments industry say European Union proposals for Sepa regulation are an attempt to abolish preferred direct debit model in region
BoE’s Salmon discusses latest banknote security features
Bank of England banking services executive director Chris Salmon explains use of motion thread in new £50 banknote
Liquidity concerns explain high level of cash transactions: Bundesbank paper
Bundesbank study says high percentage of cash transactions due to consumers' willingness to monitor liquidity