News/Financial Stability
India's central bank opens note exchange centres
INDIA - The Reserve Bank of India has opened centres for the exchange of soiled notes at its three branches in Mumbai.
Payments operation to start in Serbia, Montenegro
YUGOSLAVIA - Yugoslav National Bank Governor Mladjan Dinkic has announced setting up of the payments operations system between Serbia and Montenegro soon.
MAS issues new risk-based capital requirements
SINGAPORE - With effect from 1 October 2002, holders of Capital Markets Services (CMS) licences will be subject to new risk-based capital requirements under a subsidiary legislation of the Securities and Futures Act 2001.
Policy issues for central banks in retail payments
REPORT - This consultative report published 18 September explores policy issues for central banks that arise from current trends in retail payments markets. It puts forward four public policy goals for maintaining and promoting efficiency and safety in…
Central Bank of Costa Rica installs .NET
COSTA RICA - The Central Bank of Costa Rica has migrated its interbank electronic payments and transaction system (SINPE) to Microsoft Corp.'s .NET technologies.
MasterCard follows Visa in RBA court challenge
AUSTRALIA - Like Visa, MasterCard revealed on Friday that it will appeal the Reserve Bank of Australia's proposed changes to the credit card system.
Visa plans legal action against RBA
AUSTRALIA - The largest credit card company operating in Australia, Visa International, has launched an unprecedented legal action against the Reserve Bank of Australia to overturn reforms Visa claims will discourage its 10 million card holders from…
RBA Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - Reform of credit card schemes in Australia, 19 September.
Fiji issues new banknotes
FIJI - The Reserve Bank of Fiji has issued banknotes with new security features.
CBN identifies constraints to e-banking
NIGERIA - In spite of the various benefits banks derive from e-banking, there are still some constraints to its adoption and efficient operation in Nigeria.
Samoan banknotes wilt under tropical conditions
SAMOA - Samoa's central bank is offering wallets for sale at the equivalent of around 25 US cents in its latest attempt to slow down the disintegration of banknotes.
Survey shows Seoul residents favour W100,000 notes
SOUTH KOREA - Eight out of every 10 people in Seoul are in favour of the circulation of banknotes denominated 50,000 won and 100,000 won, according to a survey Wednesday.
SDG unveil software to detect money laundering
INDIA - SDG Software Technologies, a Hyderabad-based surveillance software solutions provider for the financial markets, has developed BankAlert - anti-money laundering software - targeting various financial institutions including central banks and…
European Central Bank Report
REPORT - Publication of the second edition of the accession country Blue Book. The European Central Bank (ECB) is today (30 August) publishing a report entitled "Payment and securities settlement systems in accession countries", the "accession country…
Reserve Bank of Australia Media Release
MEDIA RELEASE - Reform of credit card schemes in Australia, 27 August.
Spanish yet to return 2.4bn euros worth of pesetas
SPAIN - 2.4bn euros in notes and coins is yet to be changed into euros, according to Spain's central bank.
South African Reserve Bank Media Release
MEDIA RELEASE - Mr Tito Mboweni, the South African Reserve Bank Governor, launches the Johannesburg World Summit Coin series, 22 August.
Yugoslav bank chief rejects Montenegrin proposal
YUGOSLAVIA - Yugoslav National (central) Bank (NBY) Governor Mladjan Dinkic said on Wednesday that the proposal by the Montenegrin central bank governor regarding payments operations with Serbia was a step backwards from the earlier NBY proposal for…
SA Reserve Bank launches Summit memorial coins
SOUTH AFRICA - Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni has launched a coin series to commemorate the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).
RBI to use post offices for coin distribution
INDIA - The Reserve Bank of India is planning to distribute coins in exchange of currency notes through post offices and even railway counters, the Hindu newspaper reports. The decision is part of its efforts to bridge the gap between excess demand from…
New Bank of England £5 notes reissued
UK - The Bank of England is to restart distribution of the new £5 notes. The notes have already been delivered to banks and post offices, and from Wednesday morning are being made available to the public.
Pakistan State Bank directs banks to set up ATM's
PAKISTAN - State Bank of Pakistan has directed all the domestic banks either to establish at least two auto-cash telling machine (ATMs) or join the existing Switch Network to ensure payment of salaries to government employees through ATM system.
Minneapolis Fed Conferences and Events
CONFERENCES - The 17th Annual Electronic Payments Conference: "The e-Payments Revolution" will be held 17-18 September, 2002, at the Minneapolis Airport Marriott, Bloomington, Minn.
Hong Kong's credit card problems surge
HONG KONG - Credit card write-offs in Hong Kong surged to a record annualised rate of 13.63 per cent in the second quarter of this year, reflecting the slowdown in the local economy and a rise in personal bankruptcies.