An article in the BBN Times has explored the future of digital payments, particularly where users convert digital transactions into real cash, which they refer to as small payment cashing, and what users can expect in the coming years.

Account-based Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is not a radical departure from existing forms of money. While there is a need to amend and develop existing public law in the form of central bank and monetary law for CBDC, tokenbased CBDC represent a new form of money. The IMF has already written about account-based CBDC. It has now issued a paper on the private law framework needed for a retail token-based CBDC.

An interesting Finextra article examines whether CBDCs are being planned without public support, the ‘solution in search of a problem’ conundrum. There are though, two distinct issues: the policy rationale (the fundamental problems a CBDC aims to address) and the use cases (why individuals might actually adopt it).

We live in a digital age. But not everybody finds that easy. A recent paper by the Bank of Canada explores some of the challenges that digital systems create. Its conclusions are important for anybody working on digital interfaces and systems, not just those focused on digital payments.

Veriff, the AI-driven identity verification company, has issued two payment fraud reports which show that fraud affects almost one in 20 (5%) transactions. The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) annual fraud report found fraud has exploded in the last two decades.

Stefan Hardt, Chief Cashier of the Bundesbank, posed this question at the recent Intergraf Currency+Identity conference in Milan. Ironically, this comes just as the Bank of England appoints Victoria Cleland to have a combined role of being Executive Director for Payments and Chief Cashier. Sarah John, the current Chief Cashier, is moving to be the Bank’s Chief Operating Officer.

In January the European Central Bank made an announcement about stablecoins which led to some readers believing it had said stablecoin issuers would be able to back euro stablecoins with central bank reserves. A paper by the Bretton Woods Committee, while literally correct in what it said, also added to this misunderstanding. A clarification was issued.

The volume of cash in circulation in Armenia is continuing to increase despite the developments and rapid growth of non-cash payment methods. In connection with the above, the effective organisation of cash circulation is becoming a primary issue.

The Dutch National Bank (DNB) reported on the sustainability work of the Joint European Tender (JET) group at the Intergraf Currency+Identity conference. This is a tangible banknote specific example of an approach to using procurement to drive change.

A paper by PCMI assesses opportunities for stablecoins in cross-border payments1. Stablecoins are blockchain-based digital assets pegged to a fiat currency and around $210 billion worth are in circulation, the largest issuers being Tether (USDT) and Circle (USDC).

Mark Carney is Canada’s new prime minister, chosen by the Liberal Party after the resignation of Justin Trudeau.

‘In light of the deteriorating security situation in Sweden and our neighbouring region, both public and private actors need to urgently step up their efforts to create a payments market that can withstand disruptions,’ says the Riksbank governor.

In the US Marqeta is now working with Green Dot so that Green Dot’s money movement network allows customers and businesses the ability to deposit cash to bank accounts at more than 95,000 locations nationwide. Marqueta and Green Dot are fintechs.

This is the title of a recently published study that is the third and final module in a series of studies in Germany looking at the ‘Costs and Benefits of Cash and Cashless Payment Instruments’.

In the fast-changing world of financial technology, companies that once soared can just as quickly find themselves in free fall. AGS Transact Technologies, a prominent player in India's digital payments and cash management sector, is currently at the centre of a developing crisis that has sent shockwaves through the industry.

The effect of financial inclusion (FI) on financial stability has gained attention in recent years because of its importance for effective policymaking. While policymakers aim to achieve FI and financial stability goals simultaneously, overlooking the potential trade-offs between them can expose economies to costly systemic crises or hinder the progress of FI.

Data both allows and creates questions. Answering questions generates information. Information allows decisions and actions. Without accurate, relevant, reliable, consistent, standardised and timely data, creating and delivering anything is hard, particularly change.

The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) published its phase 1 evaluation report of its CBDC project in December 2023 having completed proof of concept studies and a pilot phase run as an R&D project. In the pilot, first payment transactions on the Digital Turkish Lira System were executed successfully. This report shared design choices and approaches adopted in this stage of the project.

France has witnessed an unprecedented decline in physical attacks by criminals on ATMs, thanks to cutting-edge developments in security technology. Over the past decade, the implementation of Intelligent Banknote Neutralization Systems (IBNS) by Oberthur Cash Protection has played a pivotal role in this transformation.

The Banque de France’s First Deputy Governor, speaking at the Central Bank Payments Conference in Paris in earlier this month, has said that it is addressing the significant changes in the payment system through a regulatory framework that is demanding but innovation friendly and making changes to ensure central bank money remains at the heart of settlement between intermediaries.