FMI
Czech National Bank withdraws smallest banknote
Czech National Bank says Kc50 note will be replaced with coin in April; cites cost of replacing notes and change in value
Brussels crafts principles for bank account access
European Commission consults on principles to ground law granting universal access to basic bank accounts; 6% of adults do not have a bank account
Paper problems delay release of new $100 note
Federal Reserve says sporadic creasing of paper on new banknote will setback release of new $100 bill
Bank of Russia wants to scrap kopek coin
Russian central bank proposes that one and five kopek coins be abolished due to high metal prices and low demand
More than half of Hong Kong banknotes held outside territory
Hong Kong Monetary Authority research cites increased integration with mainland and popularity of Macao as factors
Ghana’s Amissah-Arthur on a step to modernise payments
Governor of the Bank of Ghana says Central Securities Depository will become central bank subsidiary in order to modernise payments
Central banks must work with stakeholders to improve repo clearing and settlement: BIS body
Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems identifies seven key problems in repo markets; says central banks, regulators and stakeholders must join forces to hammer out solutions
Growth in European cashless payments subsides
European Central Bank payments statistics shows amount of non-cash payments increased but at a slower rate than in previous eight years
Bank of Israel: Currency Department Annual Review (2009)
Bank of Israel currency department’s report for 2009 reviews new cash payments system policy
India’s Chakrabarty demands technological improvement in banking services
Reserve Bank of India deputy governor Kamalesh Chandra Chakrabarty says country needs to update banking infrastructure to maintain current growth levels
RBI’s Thorat: formalise payments to promote inclusive growth
Reserve Bank of India deputy Usha Thorat says payments developments offer “unique opportunity”
The Italian lira: 1896-1997
Bank of Italy publishes information on pre-euro currency
De La Rue says staff falsified banknote tests
Banknote printer says investigation into printing irregularities has revealed staff at Hampshire plant deliberately falsified paper specification tests
ECB documents success of eurozone retail payment systems
European Central Bank releases comprehensive overview of the payments systems, including underlying concepts and the role of the central bank; book notes success of Step1 commercial payment system
Settlement system gets go-ahead from RBNZ
Reserve Bank of New Zealand and Securities Commission give “statutory backing” country’s third settlement system; system a joint venture between central bank and stock exchange operator
Kansas’s Hoenig calls for Fed to oversee mobile payments
Central bank is the only authority that will take holistic view of mobile payments security, Kansas Federal Reserve president Thomas Hoenig says
Indian officials to probe De La Rue plant
Reserve Bank of India says government officials due to visit De La Rue plant; trip follows paper fault which forced De La Rue chief executive to quit
Payments providers split over Sepa end dates
Comments released by the European Commission show that European institutions and banking associations disagree over Sepa proposals to seperate end dates
Holocaust museum slams Romanian central bank over ruling on anti-Semite coin
US Holocaust Memorial Museum labels National Bank of Romania’s decision to keep anti-Semite coin in circulation “misguided”
Nepal to end circulation of banknotes featuring ousted king
Nepal Rastra Bank says it will phase out old notes depicting former monarch
Romania keeps coin featuring anti-Semite in circulation
Romania says it will keep a controversial coin featuring an anti-Semite despite calls for ban by Jewish community
Ex-PBoC’s Su new chair of country’s biggest electronic payments provider
Former People’s Bank of China deputy governor Su Ning made chairman of China UnionPay, country’s biggest payments service; Su replaces Liu Tinghuan, also formerly of the central bank
De La Rue chief quits over printing errors
De La Rue’s chief executive James Hussey resigns after taking blame for faulty banknotes; shares plunge nearly 10%
Mauritania’s central bank releases new note
Central Bank of Mauritania note to be highest denomination in circulation