Currency
Union objects to Colombian central bank’s branch closures
Bank of the Republic is converting some regional offices to cultural centres, closing treasuries
Pilot CBDC outage due to expired certificate, ECCB says
Blockchain network requires update before digital currency can come back online
Liberian central bank publicly burns outdated currency
Move aims to rebuild public trust after long-running “missing banknote” controversy
How Afghanistan’s central bank can help prevent famine
Rules could be devised to allow the New York Fed to ease the acute US dollar banknotes shortage, writes Warren Coats
Eastern Caribbean digital currency remains offline
DCash has been shut down since January 14, as firm says it has “identified problem”
IMF warns El Salvador on crypto
Executive board recommends “removing bitcoin’s legal tender status”
Currency Benchmarks 2021 – presentation
Central Banking’s currency subject matter specialist Rachael King speaks with Chris Jeffery about circulation, impact of Covid-19, forecasting, costs and resourcing, security and design, sustainability, and more
Ecuador brings in anti-theft dyes
Latin American country faces increasing crime rates including attacks on ATMs
Japan launches Oceania CBDC study
Fintech firm Soramitsu will examine outlook for digital currencies in four Pacific island states
ECCB digital currency suffers outage
Eastern Caribbean’s DCash disrupted by unspecified “technical issue”
Inside the Bank of Israel’s emergency cash supply exercises
Amir Safranovich and Meir Bitton describe how the central bank ensures the financial system is always ready in case of an emergency
Mexican government announces CBDC for 2024
Bank of Mexico has yet to comment publicly on the initiative
RBNZ seeks to quell ‘urban myth’ over counterfeit cash
Central bank says people risk falling foul of the law as practice of “scraping” banknotes spreads
BSP inks deal with Australian firm for polymer note
Note Printing Australia will produce 1000-peso banknote, circulating from next year
Book notes: Shades of sovereignty, by Paul Wilson
An essential and stimulating read for central bankers thinking about the monetary history of their state in relation to its historical perspective and broad international trends
Cash: important for a fairer economy
One interesting economic story over the past year has been the growth in grassroots support for cash payments. Against the backdrop of the Covid‑19 pandemic and now debunked rumours that coins and banknotes could be significant transmission vectors for…
Currency Benchmarks 2021 report – executive summary
Perspectives on staffing, circulation, forecasting, note security and composition, outsourcing and more
ECB to choose new euro banknote designs by 2024
Banknote designs will be chosen by governing council, but public input will be vital
RBNZ begins wide-ranging review of cash
New Zealand’s central bank warns of potential harm caused by “retreat from cash”
Bank of Tanzania ‘working on CBDC’, governor says
Luoga says “cryptocurrencies are not safe” and president has urged work on CBDC
Currency Benchmarks 2021 report – ensuring confidence in the cash cycle
Perspectives on staffing, circulation, forecasting, substrate choice and security features, outsourcing, access to cash and climate risk
Chinese governor says CBDC must balance privacy and anti-crime measures
Yi says PBoC will collect “minimum amount of information” as police report first CBDC-related arrests