Payments
Palestine to get new retail payments system
Palestine Monetary Authority announces deal for new electronic payments system; ATM machines and points of sale will become accessible to all debit cards without additional charges
Thailand and Hong Kong launch cross-border settlement scheme
Bank of Thailand and Hong Kong Monetary Authority look to eliminate cross-border settlement risk through establishment of Asia's third PvP link between different currencies
Polish banks set up joint standard for mobile payments
Participants expect the joint venture to provide a boost to non-cash trading and, by extension, business effectiveness
Survey finds Lithuanians lack opportunities to use payment cards
Survey respondents would like to pay by card at places that currently do not accept them - but paying through mobile phones is still beyond the pale
UK Payments Council prepares 'roadmap' for reform
'Payments Roadmap' seeks to boost competition and innovation in UK payments, even as a government consultation leaves the future of the Payments Council in doubt
People: Poloz names special advisor; BoE appoints insurance specialist to PRA
Bank of Canada appoints senior advisor to the governor; UK's Prudential Regulation Authority names final independent director; payments systems Bacs and Chaps appoint new chairmen
Ukraine caps cash use in bid to boost e-payments
National Bank of Ukraine hopes to deliver a wide range of benefits by imposing limits on the size of cash payments
ECB issues draft regulation on systemically important payment systems
Central bank seeks comment on draft regulations implementing CPSS-Iosco Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures, for systemically important payments systems in the eurozone
BoE chief cashier looks forward to further innovations in the use of cash
Chris Salmon, chief cashier and executive director for banking services at the Bank of England, says ‘local recycling' of cash in ATMs poses questions over authentication
Financial exclusion in Europe driven by move away from cash, study finds
New report from Brussels-based pressure group finds financial exclusion is a growing phenomenon as cash falls out of favour for everyday transactions
UK consumers drop cash in move towards mobile payments
British Retail Consortium says cash usage fell sharply last year, while research by VocaLink finds a strong uptake of mobile payments by consumers, though retail payments are still dominated by cash