Financial Stability
ECB's TARGET2 Progress Report
The ECB published a progress report on TARGET2 on 8 February. The report considers three main issues - service, pricing and migration to TARGET2. These issues were decided upon by the Governing Council on 16 December 2004.
SARB to present upgraded banknotes to parliament
The South African Reserve Bank said on Friday 4 February that the upgraded banknotes, which went into circulation at the beginning of February, will be presented to members of Parliament in Cape Town on 7 February, ahead of the opening of Parliament.
MAS's Palmer: Innovation in retail payment systems
In the speech 'Fostering innovation and promoting consumer interests in retail payment systems' given on 11 January John Palmer of the Monetary Authority of Singapore said MAS will continue to act as a facilitator for the retail payment industry,…
Nyberg on the Swedish payment market
In a speech on 'Prices and costs in the Swedish payment market' given on 25 January, Lars Nyberg of the Sveriges Riksbank reveals the results of a study into how well the price structure for retail payments reflects the underlying production costs for…
BofE Payment Systems Oversight Report
The Bank of England published its first annual Payment Systems Oversight Report on Monday 31 January. The Report sets out the Bank's role and objectives in relation to oversight of UK payment systems.
BIS Red Book on payment systems in Sri Lanka
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) announced on Tuesday that the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has published the Red Book, 'Payment Systems in Sri Lanka' prepared jointly by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the Committee on Payment and…
Bank of Canada to upgrade $10 bank note
As part of its ongoing efforts to improve the security of Canadian bank notes, the Bank of Canada announced on Thursday 20 January that it will issue a $10 note with upgraded security features beginning 18 May 2005.
SARB's Mboweni on South Africa's new banknotes
In a speech given on 17 January, Tito Mboweni of the South African Reserve Bank said the preparation for the issue of the upgraded series of banknotes has been a complex and a painstaking one and we are very proud of the result.
SARB launches upgraded banknote series
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) on Monday 17 January launched banknotes with improved security features which will go into circulation from 1 February 2005.
Seminar stresses need for Qatar's Q-pay project
Hashim Al Sada, Director of System Development and Planning at Qatar central bank on Monday 10 January stressed the importance of the Q-Pay project which would enable online payments through the Internet.
BCEAO selects infrastructure management platform
The central bank of West African States (BCEAO) announced Monday it would implement HighStreet Networks Xpress(TM) to monitor and control their complete computing infrastructure.
ECB's framework for the detection of fake euros
The Eurosystem's terms of reference for the detection of counterfeits and fitness sorting of euro banknotes by credit institutions and other professional cash handlers was published on Thursday 6 January by the ECB.
ECB announces public consultation on SWIFT
The European Central Bank announced on Wednesday 5 January that it was inviting the market to participate in the SWIFT public consultation on removing technical barriers to market integration.
Qatar to launch Payment Gateway early next year
Qatar's Central Bank (QCB) has said is will launch its Payment Gateway in early 2005 which will boost and ease e-commerce and e-transactions in Qatar.
SARB to issue upgraded banknotes in the new year
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) announced on Monday 13 December that it plans to issue upgraded banknotes with improved security features from 1 February 2005.
CLS Bank live with four additional currencies
CLS Bank International announced on Monday 6 December that it will settle payment instructions in four new currencies for the first time this week. This brings to fifteen the number of currencies eligible to settle through CLS Bank.
Fed says electronic payments exceed check payments
Surveys conducted by the Federal Reserve confirm that electronic payment transactions in the United States have exceeded check payments for the first time, the Financial Services Policy Committee said on Monday 6 December.
Towards a Single Euro Payments Area - 3rd report
In its third progress report on the single euro payment area (SEPA), published on Thursday 2 December, the Governing Council of the ECB assesses recent developments in the efforts to transform the still largely fragmented national retail payment systems…
RBA Payments System Board Annual Report 2004
The Reserve Bank of Australia Payments System Board has published its Annual Report for the year ended 2004. Over the past couple of years the Board's work in relation to the safety and stability of the payments system has focussed on the development of…
Revisions to Fed's payments systems risk policy
The Federal Reserve Board announced on Friday 26 November the approval of proposed revisions to its Policy on Payments System Risk (PSR Policy) addressing risk management in payments and securities settlement systems.
Bank of Canada issues new $50 banknote
The Bank of Canada put into circulation Canada's new $50 banknote on Wednesday 17 November. The new note will be distributed and become available across the country over the next few weeks.
Changes to New Zealand's `silver' coins?
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced on 11 November details of proposals to modernise New Zealand's `silver' coloured coins. The Reserve Bank emphasised that no decisions have been made, and is now seeking feedback from the public.
Sweden to withdraw some older notes and coins
The Sveriges Riksbank announced on 9 November that the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) decided on 27 October, following a proposal from the Riksbank, that some older series of banknotes and coins shall cease being legal tender after 31 December 2005.
Securities and clearing settlement systems
This ECB occasional paper "Governance of securities clearing and settlement systems" provides a description of the existing general approaches to corporate governance. It then identifies determinants of the corporate governance structures and mechanisms…