FMI
UK counterfeit seizures fall for 3rd straight year
The number of counterfeit banknotes in circulation confiscated by the British authorities plummeted by almost a quarter last year. The total face value of counterfeit notes found also fell by a similar degree.
ECB's TARGET Annual Report 2007
In 2007, use of TARGET, a large-value payment system in the euro area, surged in terms of both volume and value of transactions business, the annual report on the system states.
Papua New Guinea issues new notes for anniversary
The Bank of Papua New Guinea has introduced two new polymer banknotes to commemorate 33 years of the Kina and Toea currencies.
RBA oultines changes for payment system
The Reserve Bank of Australia has announced a raft of recommendations for the country's payments systems industry aimed at enhancing competition.
Israel puts plastic notes into circulation
The Bank of Israel on Sunday introduced its first polymer banknote.
Serbia's Jelasic praises SEPA
The Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), a eurozone-wide payments initiative, is an excellent example of how technology can be used to facilitate development of the financial sector, said Radovan Jelasic, the governor of the National Bank of Serbia.
Payments industry lacks competition
If we want to speed up the development in payment services, we need to increase competition in the market, said Erkki Liikanen, the governor of the Bank of Finland.
New UK coinage meets lukewarm reception
New coin and banknote designs are almost inevitably greeted with criticism and the first new coin designs for 40 years from the UK's Royal Mint, unveiled on 3 April, were no exception. Historians, designers and MPs have already criticised them.
Payment system risk the priority
The need to mitigate the risk involved in using outmoded payments infrastructure has to be given priority, said Ranee Jayamaha, a deputy governor at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Hong Kong's RTGS passes share-dealing-surge test
Optimisers in Hong Kong's high-value payments system meant it was able to cope with the explosion in initial purchase offers and lively market trading in 2007, Esmond Lee and Sara Yip, two members of the Financial Infrastructure Department at the region…
Fed issues new $5 bill
The first of the Federal Reserve's redesigned $5 bills was used to buy a collection of former President Abraham Lincoln's speeches.
Who signs the banknotes?
Most banknotes bear signatures, but who are the signatories? Åke Lönnberg explains
Coin misuse trouble Bank of Korea
Korean ten-won coins have recently found favour as decorative pendants - a development that has the Bank of Korea worried.
More remittances lead to more corruption
An increase in remittance inflows can lead to a deterioration of institutional quality in the recipient country, research published by the International Monetary Fund finds.
Late-afternoon Fedwire surge explained
The New York Fed finds three reasons for why an increasing number of payments are processed through the Fedwire funds transfer system in late afternoon.
Europe's single payments area goes live
Eurozone banks and customers received a boost on Monday as the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) went live.
Japanese business prepares for e-money surge
The number of payment devices for processing e-money transactions in Japan is set to almost double by 2010 as the payment method gains popularity with consumers.
Central banks get cheaper cash from companies
Private-sector involvement in the printing of banknotes substantially lowers costs, research published by Colombia's Banco de la Republica finds.
Gono explains decision to renege on note change
Gideon Gono, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, has blamed the weather for backtracking on plans to take the Z$200,000 ($6.67) note out of circulation.
Euro makes rapid progress in Cyprus and Malta
Euro banknotes already account for 50% of the total in circulation in both Malta and Cyprus, the two Mediterranean islands that adopted the single currency on Tuesday.
Venezuela lops zeros off bolivar to curb inflation
Venezuela revamped the bolivar on Tuesday by slashing three zeros from the currency in a bid to dampen rampant inflation, which hit 20.7% in the 12 months to November.
Cyprus and Malta join eurozone
The eurozone became a little larger on Tuesday as Cyprus and Malta, two Mediterranean islands, adopted the single currency.
Zimbabwe set for new currency
Gideon Gono, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, said on Wednesday that the issue of a new currency was imminent, after announcing just over a fortnight ago that it would be delayed until 2008.
Stability needs reliable systems: BoE's Jenkinson
The resilience of wholesale payment, clearing and settlement systems to both operational and financial shocks remains a key requirement of financial and monetary stability, says Nigel Jenkinson, the executive director responsible for financial stability…