As noted in the November issue of Currency News™, the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) is issuing a new family of Fijian dollar banknotes, which was officially launched at a special ceremony in Suva, the capital of the Pacific Island nation, on 2 December.

The Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) of Bhutan has unveiled the designs for the first three notes in its new banknote family – the 100, 500, and 1,000 ngultrum (Nu).

In a bold step to modernise its currency and reaffirm national identity, the Bank of Namibia (BoN) has launched an upgraded series of banknotes and a fully redesigned set of coins. Officially introduced by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in July 2025, the new currency began circulating at the end of September 2025, marking a historic milestone for the nation.

The Coin Conference 2026 will take centre stage next year as a key part of the industry’s event calendar. The event, organised by the publishers of Currency News, brings together experts to tackle critical challenges facing coin production and circulation in the context of a rapidly-evolving payments eco-system.

After 232 years of continuous production, the US penny (or one cent coin) has finally ceased to roll off the presses for circulation. The US Mint hosted a ceremonial strike event at its Philadelphia facility in mid-November, with United States Treasurer Brandon Beach striking the final circulating penny coin.

Earlier this year, as part of a package of sweeping cuts under the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) initiative to eliminate waste, President Trump directed the US Treasury Secretary to cease production of the country’s lowest denomination coin (each of which costs 3.7 times its face value to produce), reigniting a decade-long debate about the future of the coin (see CN February 2025).

Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB) has provided more details of its new banknote series in denominations of BND1, BND5, BND10, BND100 and BND500, which are scheduled to enter circulation in the first half of 2026.

The International Day of Charity, which occurs annually on 5 September, recognises the role of charity in helping others.

Amidst the gradual introduction of a new banknote series, Banco Central de Bolivia (BCB) has also launched a new bicentennial commemorative banknote, which was unveiled earlier this month at a special event attended by the country’s President at the Casa de Libertad in Sucre, a heritage museum and former church where the country signed its declaration of independence in 1825.

Several countries utilise one or more of their coin denominations as so-called circulating commemoratives. These are legal tender and, more often than that, produced in sufficient quantities that they do circulate (rather than being snapped up by collectors). The design of (generally) the reverse changes periodically, however, to mark special occasions or reinforce particular national priorities or themes.