The Mint of Finland (Suomen Rahapaja) is to cease operations and wind down in an orderly manner by next year, its Managing Director Jonne Hankimaa, has announced, bringing to an end a 160-year business which first began minting coins in 1864 under the Russian emperor Alexander III.

Researchers at Griffith University of Australia have investigated the representation of native fauna on banknotes to identify geographic hotspots and taxonomic patterns, and determine whether threatened and endemic species were more readily represented.

This month we report on the interim results for two leaders in the currency sector – Orell Füssli Security Printing and Prosegur Cash.

When systems go down, they can go down big-time. As happened recently with the CrowdStrike software update glitch that caused a multitude of Microsoft systems around the world to crash, hitting hospitals and healthcare, transport, hospitality, retailers and payments. Cash, once again, was the fallback option.

In this periodic series of articles covering cash information in central bank annual reports, we turn out attention this month to Canada, the ECCB, India, Ireland, and Spain.

The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) has begun an investigation into the phasing out of hundreds of bank cash machines and their replacement by a new consolidated network of ‘neutral’ Bancontact- branded ATMs. The investigation focuses on accessibility to the ATMs, and therefore to cash, as well as on the quality of service, notably in terms of waiting time.

The many security features integrated into a banknote make them virtually impossible to counterfeit. These features instil confidence in the currency and enable various users to authenticate genuine banknotes throughout the entire cash cycle.

The next edition of the Directory of Circulating Coins is currently being compiled, and is scheduled for publication this Autumn. First developed by the publishers of Currency News in 2014, the upcoming issue will be the fourth edition.

The high-level programme and award categories for the next edition of The Coin Conference have been announced, with the event scheduled to take place 28-30 October in Lisbon, Portugal.

In this periodic series summarising counterfeit currency around the world, we focus on the latest news from Hong Kong, Libya, Scotland and Ukraine.

Last month, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the introduction of polymer banknotes in New Zealand. But all is not well with cash ‘down under’, with usage in rapid decline and the cash infrastructure in decline as well – both in response to falling demand and also a driver for it.

Today, located in City of London, the Bank of England, with a history of more than 300 years, is a pioneer of modern finance. It is also one of the world’s oldest central banks.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has announced that it plans to transition its cash operations in East Rutherford, New Jersey to a new next-generation cash services centre within the Second District.

Some were in Frankfurt for the European football in the final week of June, but not all. The second Cash Sustainability Forum saw two and a half days of discussion, presentations and debate focused on reducing the environmental impact of cash and the cash cycle.

The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) introduced the newly designed 10,000 tenge banknotes into circulation at the end of June. This release marks the second instalment in the ‘Saka Style’ series, which draws inspiration from elements of the ancient Saka culture, a key precursor to traditional Kazakh ornamentation. The series aims to evoke national pride, deepen cultural awareness, and promote environmental stewardship among Kazakhstan’s citizens.

Commemorative coins are a common way for countries to mark their participation in international sporting events, particularly if they are hosting those events. Less so for commemorative banknotes, but they are becoming more popular.

The Bank of Mongolia has issued a limited edition 5,000 tugrik commemorative banknote to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the central bank and the strengthening of the modern banking system in Mongolia. The banknotes are in the same design as the circulating 5000 tugrik but include a number of new security features.

Counterfeit deterrence requires a three-pronged approach. Banknote design security, public education and law enforcement.

Spectra Systems’ annual report, released at the end of June, showed revenues for 2023 increased by 3.4% to $20.28 million and operating profit, EDITDA (before stock compensation expenses) by 3.9% to $8.39 million.

This short phrase is a truism. Another is ‘you get what you pay for’. When security fibres are used in banknotes, it is fair to say both truisms apply. Security fibres may be very small, but the level of security they provide certainly gives value for money.