Africa
Economists’ median salary falls below $30,000 a year
Annual budget of economics departments averages under $1 million
Economics teams tend to be tailored by institution
But hub and spoke model is prevalent among high income respondents
Portraits on banknotes: a study of the gender gap
Only Australia’s currency has gender parity; overall, less than 10% of portraited banknotes – excluding Elizabeth II – feature female images
Smaller banknote denominations have shorter lifespan
High income central banks produce longer-lasting cash
Crashing the nth party: how third-party service provider risks compound
Cross-border collaboration may help deal with risks from multiple layers of outsourcing
Middle income central banks see largest volume of counterfeit notes
Foil remains least used security feature for banknote production
Majority of central banks have emergency cash inventory
But few respondents say they have alternative strategies in place
Half of central banks recycle banknotes as sustainability measure
Most currency operations lack climate strategy, but a few plan to launch one
Minority of central banks keep whole cash cycle in-house
Banknote printing remains central banks’ most outsourced function
Currency staff make up 8% of central bank workforce
Institutions with own printworks have larger currency departments
Mamo Mihretu on the radical reform of central banking in Ethiopia
Ethiopian governor speaks about simultaneous monetary policy and exchange rate reform, opening the country’s financial system and a fundamental reset for Africa’s second most populous economy
Raised tactile features are most common banknote visual aid
Assistive mobile application offered by just two central banks
Polymer substrates used on one-fifth of banknotes
Data reveals widening adoption in upper-middle income jurisdictions
Average volume of defective banknotes remains above 100m units
Central banks retrieved over $1 billion of mutilated banknotes on average
Cash payments average over 30% of transactions in 2023
No pressures on number of printed banknotes, central banks say
Half of upper-middle income banks plan banknote issue in next year
Total number of banknote denominations in circulation averages under 10
Average cash values rise more than volumes year on year
Value of banknote pieces in circulation rises by over 30% on average
Kenyan RTGS system transitions to new messaging standard
Central bank says ISO 20022 will help it monitor fraud and facilitate cross-border payments
Working group minutes: central banks weigh CBDC design choices
Central bankers discuss CBDC design elements, adoption rates and cross-border payments
Middle income countries form largest membership of World Bank Ramp
Central banks highlight market intel, support, training as partnership gains
Half of middle income central banks intervened in FX markets in 2023
Liquidity tranches form largest part of reserves in lower-middle income countries