FMI
Euro adds to Slovakia's New Year celebrations
Slovakia became the 16th country to join the Eurosystem on New Year's Day, an achievement few predicted would happen so soon after it joined the European Union less than five years ago.
Heller on how crisis will impact payments and settlements
Nick Carver spoke with the new head of the secretariat of the Committee of Payment and Settlement Systems about the impact of the credit crisis on market infrastructure and how central banks will respond
ECB warns of "downbeat attitude" on SEPA
The European Central Bank has published its sixth progress report on the implementation of the Single Euro Payments Area.
Demand soars for high-value euro notes
The value of €500 ($715) notes in circulation surged past a quarter of a trillion euros in 2008 to reach €262 billion in November.
Fiji launches "smaller, thinner, lighter" coins
The Reserve Bank of Fiji completed its currency reform with the unveiling of new 5, 10, 20, 50 cent and $1 coins at a ceremony on Thursday.
Optimising cash supply
Central banks need to take a business minded approach to their cash-supply function, argues Brian Lang
Banknote Watch SA launched
A new organisation, called Banknote Watch SA, has been launch in South Africa to prevent cash-related crime in the run-up to the FIFA 2010 World Cup in the country.
British PM denies UK close to joining euro
Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, has denied the UK plans to join the eurozone after the European Commission president said Britain was "closer than ever before" to adopting the single currency.
UK "closer than ever" to euro adoption: EU head
Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, has said Britain is as near as it has ever been to joining the eurozone.
Kings of cash to get a new chief
James Hussey, a managing director at De La Rue, the world's biggest banknote printer, will take the helm at the firm in the new year.
Papua New Guinea's Kamit praises polymer
The benefits of polymer banknotes are their cost-effectiveness, durability and greater ability to withstand counterfeiting, said Wilson Kamit, the governor of the Papua New Guinea.
Non-bank retail payments schemes in Canada
A new paper from the Bank of Canada provides an overview of the different kinds of non-bank retail payments schemes available in Canada.
Sepa report: progress made, but more to be done
The European Central Bank has said it welcomes the evident progress made on the Single Euro Payments Area (Sepa) project, but has noted that work urgently needs to be done.
Caruana gets top job at BIS
Jaime Caruana, the director of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) monetary and capital markets department, will succeed Malcolm Knight as general manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
SNB's Heller to head Basel payments committee
Daniel Heller, the head of the Swiss National Bank's financial stability and oversight section, will take over from Denis Beau, a deputy director general of Banque de France's economics and international relations department, as head of the secretariat…
Incentives needed for e-payment transition
Consumers and merchants need incentives to move from paper-based to electronic payment instruments, said Jan Qvigstad, the deputy governor of Norges Bank.
Remittances suffer in the wake of turmoil
Remittance flows to developing countries slowed in the third quarter of 2008 and are expected to slow further in 2009 due to the global financial crisis, a new report from the World Bank finds.
US: debit cards and electronic payments rising
Electronic methods of cheque clearing are rapidly replacing traditional paper methods, reports a new paper from the Federal Reserve Board.
Fed hikes cheque processing costs by 41%
In a bid to encourage the move to electronic processing of cheques, the Federal Reserve will increase its charges for the processing of paper by 41% in 2009.
SEPA at a crossroads - ECB's Tumpel-Gugerell
SEPA, the Single Euro Payments Area initiative, is at a crossroads, said Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, a member of the executive board of the European Central Bank.
ECB's Heinonen scoops lifetime achievement award
The man who oversaw the euro cash changeover has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award from the International Association of Currency Affairs, a trade body for the currency industry.
No uniform path to euro
There is no one-size-fits-all euro adoption policy available for the eight new EU countries from Central and Eastern Europe, finds a new paper from the Bank of Estonia.
Czech banknote wins prize
The International Association of Currency Affairs, an industry body, has announced that the Czech National Bank (CNB) was the runner-up in its Banknote of the Year award for the 1000-krone banknote, issued in April this year.
Zimbabwe halts e-transfers, inflation at 531 bn%
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe on Friday halted electronic transfers as the currency plunged to a fresh low. News of the stoppage follows a new estimate puts Zimbabwean annual inflation at 531 billion percent.