Cash
Sweden may have a digital currency in five years, says Riksbank governor
Sveriges Riksbank is testing e-krona pilot as Swedish cash use falls rapidly
Regulating big tech and non-bank financial services in the digital era
Big tech incursions into financial services in China and elsewhere demonstrate the potential benefits of adopting a digital-bank or holding-company approach to financial regulation
Riksbank to open two contingency cash offices
Offices will be opened this year and next to guard against disruptions to cash supply
A bellwether moment for CBDC plans
The launch of the ‘sand dollar’ may herald a new era of CBDCs as the Fed and ECB step up their preparations
Central bank of the year: The Federal Reserve System
Overwhelming Fed interventions in March 2020 forestalled a damaging global financial crisis, as policy overhaul prompts introspection in Europe and Japan
Initiative of the year: Saudi Central Bank’s business continuity programme
Advanced planning has allowed Sama employees and systems to continue operating critical functions despite the Covid-19 lockdowns
Central Banking Awards 2021: third round of winners revealed
Awards go to central banks and market practitioners for payments, market infrastructure and currency
Currency manager: National Bank of Ukraine
Ukraine’s decisive actions to cut currency denominations while upgrading banknotes and coins are starting to pay off
RBA opened banknote contingency site during pandemic
Strength of banknote demand during pandemic was ‘unprecedented’, RBA bulletin says
Future of cash: what we can learn from the history of money
Central banks must take a broad view of efficiency if they are to preserve the benefits of cash, says Antti Heinonen
Innovation in reserve management: World Bank Treasury/ANZ Bank
The pair developed a Swift-based messaging app to manage faster and safer cash operations for central bank members of Ramp at the height of the pandemic
Cash in circulation to remain elevated, Bank of Canada research says
Withdrawal and deposit relationships and high denominations to blame
Bank of Japan to start testing digital yen
BoJ embarks on year-long pilot programme to test functionality
Kenneth Montgomery on the Fed’s progress with instant payments
The FedNow project leader speaks about Covid-19 payment behaviours, a new liquidity management tool and what it will take to achieve ubiquitous instant payments in the US
Podcast: the legal implications of CBDC
The majority of central banks cannot issue CBDCs to the public under current frameworks
Decentralised, private, cash-like: researchers propose CBDC designs
Canadian universities outline several options for a central bank digital currency
Ulrich Bindseil on the launch of the digital euro
The ECB’s director-general for market infrastructure and payments speaks about the functionality, tiering approaches, privacy policies, ledger technology and ecosystem impact of the eurozone's planned CBDC
Carstens questions wisdom of fully anonymous CBDC
Idea of complete anonymity in digital systems is a “chimera”, BIS chief says
China tightens regulations on non-bank payment firms
Central bank will scrutinise payments more closely and fine firms for rejecting cash
Mexican president seems to make U-turn on central bank law
Bank of Mexico says draft cash law would endanger its independence
MAS urges Singaporeans to use digital ‘red envelopes’ during Lunar New Year
E-hong bao help reduce the carbon emissions of printing banknotes, MAS says
Dutch cash deposit ATMs to close after explosive robbery
Banks and police are struggling to combat a spate of ATM bombings
Australian Senate axes plans to ban cash usage above $10,000
Controversial bill threatened to jail those conducting large cash transactions
2020: The year in review
The past 12 months have been marked by crisis-fighting and losses, but also innovation