FMI
Cheques secure place in Australian payments system
Australian Payments Clearing Association finds no reason to consider closing the cheque clearing system in Australia
Hungary issues medieval gold florin coin series
National Bank of Hungary issues first in a series of medieval gold florin commemorative coins; both normal and piedfort versions available
Chan highlights ‘strong business case’ for renminbi use
Norman Chan tells a conference in Tokyo that payments in renminbi can increase the efficiency of growing trade activity between Japan and China
New coins celebrate leadership change in Taiwan
Taiwanese central bank announces minting of gold and silver commemorative coins in recognition of the new president and vice-president
New Zambian banknotes will not feature a portrait
Bank of Zambia confirms rebased notes will not portray the image of any person; businesses urged to update systems ahead of changeover date
Central Bank of Ireland issues new €20 gold coin
Irish central bank launches commemorative €20 coin; monastic art features on the coin, of which 12,000 will be issued
Bahrain modernises cheque truncation system
Central Bank of Bahrain announces same day cheque clearing system will go live on May 13; system is part of initiative to improve efficiency and confidence in cheques
First CSDs sign T2S Framework Agreement
Senior European Central Bank officials commend first nine European central securities depositories to sign Framework Agreement for T2S central settlement project
Malawi devalues kwacha to boost economy
Malawi ends peg to dollar; hopes to speed government’s efforts to restart International Monetary Fund aid programme
Estonia issues 50 million new coins
Bank of Estonia announces increased stock of 1- and 2-cent coins; also discusses new role in producing euro banknotes
Bank of Canada unveils new banknote
New C$20 polymer banknote unveiled by Bank of Canada; enhanced security features aimed at thwarting counterfeiters
Gensler confident clearing location requirements will not be imposed
Regulators are unlikely to insist local currency OTC derivatives trades be cleared domestically, says CFTC chair Gary Gensler
Bank of Estonia notes increasing electronic payments
Central bank says more than 99% of non-cash payments in Estonia are now electronic; further increase in use of internet payments expected
UK banks exceed BoE target for £5 note dispensing
Bank of England reveals UK banks surpassed target of 1.2% of ATM dispense being in £5 notes; aim to increase levels of "good quality" notes in circulation
Riksbank unveils winner of new banknote design competition
Winner chosen in Riksbank's design competition for new Swedish banknotes; reverse of notes will feature images of geographic landmarks, including the bridge between Sweden and Denmark
ECB calls for comments on payments system security recommendations
Public consultation opens on payments system recommendations from European Forum on the Security of Retail Payments; changes relate to areas of concern regarding internet payments
Bank of Finland research examines link between retail payments and economic growth
Bank of Finland discussion paper highlights the link between increased use of electronic payments systems and economic growth
Kansas Fed Economic Review discusses barriers to mobile payments in US
Kansas Fed’s latest economic review discusses supply- and demand-side issues limiting the use of mobile payments in the US
Bank of Lithuania warns of stained banknotes after ATM theft
Bank of Lithuania advises against accepting banknotes stained with ink; fears raised that such notes could be result of ATM theft in the country
Central Bank of Iran reacts to major debit card security breach
Central Bank of Iran urges debit card users to change personal identification codes after hacker publishes security details of millions of accounts on internet
PBoC decision to widen trading band welcomed
Chinese central bank announces “enlarged” floating band of renminbi trading prices against the US dollar; analysts and IMF welcome decision
Sarb investigation finds low-quality proof Krugerrand coins
Investigation into SA Mint Company uncovers low-quality proof Krugerrand coins may have been casted between April 2011 and May 2011; dealers offered chance to return coins
Reserve Bank of India writes to banks about electronic payments
Indian central bank asks banks to accept electronic transfers for credit to loan accounts, following complaints from customers
Currency floor breach raises questions over SNB policy
The Swiss National Bank should consider enlisting the help of top-tier banks to keep EUR/CHF above 1.20, forex traders suggest