FMI
Bank to increase £5 notes in circulation
Bank of England will increase number of smallest banknotes in circulation; will also increase number of automated tellers dispensing the note
EPC chairman 'shocked' at Brussels' 'competing' Sepa schemes
European Payments Council chair slams European Commission's willingness to allow operation of multiple, national Sepa schemes; says plan would thwart aims of Sepa
Global payment volumes grow 9%
Payments withstand financial crisis, spurred by surge in non-cash payments in some developing countries
Fed and Equens open transatlantic payment channel
Federal Reserve-operated ACH and Dutch-German payments processor connect US to 22 countries in Europe for low-value payments in dollars, euros and sterling
Bundesbank ups compatibility of clearing system
Bundesbank strikes deal with payments processor Equens on more interoperable clearing systems to improve market efficiency
ECB calls for law enforcing Sepa migration
European Central Bank says legislative action on migration of Sepa scheme needed as self-imposed deadline will not work
Colombia revisits currency redenomination debate
Central Bank of Colombia governor José Darío Uribe says there are benefits to be had from redenominating peso, despite costs
ICFA talks Target2- Securities with the ECB
Jean-Michel Godeffroy, chairman of the T2S programme board at the European Central Bank, talks through the future of the settlement platform with Melanie White of ICFA Magazine
Hungary sets four hour limit for retail payments
National Bank of Hungary issues decree requiring banks to settle electronic payments within four hours; move may cost banks up to $40m, admits deputy
RBNZ, NZX ink MoU on connected clearing system
Reserve Bank of New Zealand agrees with Wellington-based stock exchange on separate but connected clearing and settlements systems
T&T solves remittances anomaly
Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago study explains drop in remittances to developing world
Czech National Bank withdraws smallest banknote
Czech National Bank says Kc50 note will be replaced with coin in April; cites cost of replacing notes and change in value
Brussels crafts principles for bank account access
European Commission consults on principles to ground law granting universal access to basic bank accounts; 6% of adults do not have a bank account
Paper problems delay release of new $100 note
Federal Reserve says sporadic creasing of paper on new banknote will setback release of new $100 bill
Bank of Russia wants to scrap kopek coin
Russian central bank proposes that one and five kopek coins be abolished due to high metal prices and low demand
More than half of Hong Kong banknotes held outside territory
Hong Kong Monetary Authority research cites increased integration with mainland and popularity of Macao as factors
Ghana’s Amissah-Arthur on a step to modernise payments
Governor of the Bank of Ghana says Central Securities Depository will become central bank subsidiary in order to modernise payments
Central banks must work with stakeholders to improve repo clearing and settlement: BIS body
Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems identifies seven key problems in repo markets; says central banks, regulators and stakeholders must join forces to hammer out solutions
Growth in European cashless payments subsides
European Central Bank payments statistics shows amount of non-cash payments increased but at a slower rate than in previous eight years
Bank of Israel: Currency Department Annual Review (2009)
Bank of Israel currency department’s report for 2009 reviews new cash payments system policy
India’s Chakrabarty demands technological improvement in banking services
Reserve Bank of India deputy governor Kamalesh Chandra Chakrabarty says country needs to update banking infrastructure to maintain current growth levels
RBI’s Thorat: formalise payments to promote inclusive growth
Reserve Bank of India deputy Usha Thorat says payments developments offer “unique opportunity”
The Italian lira: 1896-1997
Bank of Italy publishes information on pre-euro currency
De La Rue says staff falsified banknote tests
Banknote printer says investigation into printing irregularities has revealed staff at Hampshire plant deliberately falsified paper specification tests