A Bank of Canada staff paper gives useful insight into financial exclusion. It does this in the context of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC), but the findings have broad relevance to payments generally.

Mastercard’s CFO, speaking recently at a UBS conference, has raised issues with India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) system. Describing it as ‘fantastic at many levels’, he also said it was an ‘incredibly painful experience’ for its ecosystem participants.

Following industry wide consultation at the end of 2022, the Australian Federal Government has published its Strategic Plan for the future of Australia’s payments system setting out a number of policy objectives and priorities. The plan outlines the government’s commitment to ensuring that the country’s payments system is safe, affordable, trusted and will remain readily accessible.

In the last few years, the number of papers written about CDDCs has exploded as the world’s central banks rush to think about and investigate them. The Bank of Canada has carried out a literature review focusing in particular on the potential impact of introducing a CBDC on private banks, which it has published as a staff discussion paper.

The Bank for International Settlements Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructure consists of 14 Advanced Economy and 13 Emerging Market Economy countries. It collects extensive data on their cash and electronic payments and uses these to draw conclusions about payment trends.

While data about digital payments is usually good, measuring cash is problematic. Understanding cash usage is important for regulatory authorities. IMF Working Paper WP/23/62 explores the measurement of cash based on ATM cash withdrawals value as an alternative to the traditional cash in circulation as a proportion of GDP method.

The Bank of Canada (BOC) has published two survey reports in the last few months. The first was the Methods of Payment survey 2021 and the second the Merchant Acceptance Survey Pilot Study.

The International Mint Industry Association (IMIA) issued a brief making the case for cash and for freedom of choice at its launch this month.

The International Mint Industry Association has published a position paper (2023/01) urging the European Commission to give legal certainty on the implications of the legal tender status of euro banknotes and coins in terms of mandatory acceptance and to enshrine it in secondary law.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has reported on its Study on the Payment Attitudes of Consumers in the Euro Area (SPACE) 2022.