FMI
China expands yuan cross-border settlement option to all exporters
People’s Bank of China permits all companies qualified for foreign trade activities to conduct international settlements in yuan, reports official Xinhua news agency
Turkey reveals new currency symbol
Turkish prime minister leads ceremony at the Central Bank of Turkey to unveil the new symbol for the lira
BoE looking 'carefully' at banknote substrate choices
Chris Salmon, chief cashier at the Bank of England, says the possibility of polymer or hybrid substrate banknotes is being looked at by the central bank; no decision made yet
Bank of Thailand governor discusses links with Germany
Prasarn Trairatvorakul highlights important trade link with Germany and commits to necessary reforms to improve Thailand’s competitiveness
Central bank's credibility was vital to introducing minimum rate, says SNB’s Schlegel
The decision by the Swiss central bank to introduce a minimum rate to the euro last September was possible because of the SNB’s credibility, says the central bank’s head of foreign exchange and gold
Philadelphia Fed launches consumer credit and payments web pages
Research and statistics on consumer credit and payments now displayed on separate web page; includes searchable publications library and access to podcasts
Lithuania continues restructure of operations
Bank of Lithuania continues “optimising” operations; will concentrate key functions within specialised services and close a vault
Turkey agrees currency swap with China
Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey and People's Bank of China agree currency swap
New Norwegian coin commemorates Royal birthdays
Norges Bank reveals a commemorative silver coin to celebrate the birthdays of King Harald and Queen Sonja; profits from sale will go to charities
Central bankers attend Financial Action Task Force meeting
Central bankers from many of the 136 member countries of FATF share thoughts on combating money laundering
European Commission to propose regulation on CSDs
European Commission announces new rules targeting central securities depositories to be released in March; wants to ensure securities transactions are settled in a “safe and timely manner”
Australia set to formalise payment system mishap reporting
Reserve Bank of Australia announces intention to establish strict rules on informing the central bank of operational incidents in retail payments systems; launches consultation process
Nazis “destroyed confidence” in BoE notes with expert counterfeits
MI5 report from 1945 says Nazis destroyed confidence in British banknotes; produced counterfeits of such high quality it was “impossible” for a lay person to tell them from the real thing
Sepa end-date set in stone following final vote
European Parliament passes legislation imposing a February 1, 2014 deadline for migration to Single Euro Payments Area after regulation receives overwhelming support of MEPs in Brussels
Philippines warns on fake commemorative banknotes
Central Bank of the Philippines denies issuing a 150 piso commemorative banknote; asks the pubic to report any information on the ‘fictitious’ notes to the authorities
Boston Fed investigates effects of credit scores on payment choice
Discussion paper finds evidence to back anecdotes that debit card use is negatively impacted by poor credit scores
Solomon Islands warns of counterfeits and announces new coins
Solomon Islands public warned about counterfeit banknotes in circulation; central bank also announces new coins to be issued
New South African banknotes will portray image of Mandela
First democratically elected president of South Africa honoured in currency redesign; new notes expected by the end of 2012
Central banks find novel uses for old banknotes
Central Bank of Ireland makes old notes into artwork; National Bank of Hungary offers the decommissioned banknotes to charities to burn for heating purposes
SNB announces year-long delay on new banknotes
Problems with suppliers mean the new Swiss banknotes will not enter circulation until the end of 2013 at the earliest; latest hiccup in long process of renewing the currency
EPC outlines new models for mobile payments
European Payments Council requests feedback on new model for contactless and remote mobile payments in Europe; focuses on the preferred type of secure-elements technology used in mobile phones
Malaysia and China extend currency swap arrangement
People's Bank of China and Bank Negara Malaysia renew and expand currency swap arrangement, designed to facilitate greater bilateral trade and investment
Norges Bank announces end date for public to exchange old banknotes
Norwegians have until November 2012 to exchange old series of banknotes before they are rendered worthless, 11 years after new currency series was introduced
Lithuanian central bank completes euro credit migration to Sepa
Bank of Lithuania says government institutions holding accounts with central bank will now be able to initiate and receive payments in euros through Sepa credit payments scheme