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.

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).

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.

After years of debate about the future of the US one cent coin (penny), the US Treasury has now confirmed that its production will stop once stocks of blanks, the last order for which was placed this month, are used up.

The National Bank of Kazakhstan has issued a commemorative 1,000 tenge note celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and the end of World War II in Europe.

The United Nations and its agencies hold international observance days (and in some cases weeks or even years) to promote global issues . There are 218 overall – many on familiar topics such as women, family, oceans, the environment. But there are some unexpected ones too - toilets, potatoes, tea, tuna, bicycles, seagrass.

Tuvalu is home to 11,000 people and now, for the first time, five ATMs as well, thereby opening up electronic banking for the tiny Pacific island’s inhabitants.

A country that has issued not just a new family of banknotes and coins, but a whole new currency, is Curaçao and Sint Maarten, where the Caribbean guilder (Gg) went into circulation on 31 March, replacing the Netherlands Antilles guilder.