The Royal Australian Mint (RAM) has now published its report and accounts for 2022-2023.

Reconnaissance International, co-publisher of Currency News™, is pleased to announce the release of its new report – ‘Smartphones for Authentication’ – the only publication of its kind.

So called ‘normal times’ ended in many respects more than three years ago, in early 2020. Since then, developments have been characterised by growing uncertainty and volatility, first by the COVID-19 pandemic and disruption of global supply chains, and then by geopolitical tensions created by the Russian attack on Ukraine and inflation of food and energy prices.

In March, Currency News™ featured an interview with Dr Wolfram Seidemann, CEO of G+D Currency, on the topic of building a resilient cash infrastructure.

Demonetisation has had something of a bad press in recent years, the disruption caused by the removal of the 500 and 1,000 rupees in India of 2016 and, more recently, Nigeria’s naira redesign being cases in point.

In the start of a new series in Currency News, we will be providing a summary of each month of central bank annual reports, and in particular developments regarding cash – be it circulation, management or counterfeiting.

Back by popular demand, the latest edition of The Directory of Currency & Technology Suppliers is now being compiled. This sought-after directory is an essential resource for central banks and issuers, printers and mints, and everyone in the cash cycle to identify suppliers and partners.

To coincide with the Cash & Payments Sustainability Forum™ in mid-November, Reconnaissance issued a whitepaper – ‘What Goes Round Comes Round’.

Despite headline currency in circulation at near record levels, A$102.22 billion on issue at the end of July 2022 (that’s 27% higher than the July 2019 level), substantially less cash is being used in Australia.

Currency News™ has published annual updates on the banknote developments at the global level since September 2017. The hope that this year’s update would illustrate some kind of return to a new normal in cash demand has proved to be unrealistic.