This is a reflection on 12 months as Editor of Cash & Payment News™ (CPN), writing about the payment environment and the role of cash. With the impact of the pandemic providing the backdrop, a number of themes are evident.

China has decided to stop cryptocurrency mining in the interests of financial stability. Mining is the process that validates cryptocurrency transactions by solving cryptographic puzzles in return for receiving newly minted coins.

A number of states and cities in the US have implemented or are considering legislation to make cash acceptance at retailers mandatory.

Both Switzerland and the US are big users of cash. Here we report on surveys that show change is happening.

Two articles recently cast a different light on financial inclusion. The first published by Cash Essentials and written by Manuel A. Bautista-González of Colombia University about cash in Mexico and the second published in the Irish Times. Very different stories but interesting perspectives on using less cash.

A survey carried out in February 2021 by the Dutch National Bank (DNB Cash) contained some good news for cash. In five years’ time over 70% of all age groups expect still to be using cash.

Cryptocurrencies are almost all built on two different approaches – proof-of-work or proof-of-state.

Ralph Wintergerst, CEO of the G+D Group, has recently written an article published in the International Banker magazine. The article’s title is ‘Britain needs a digital central bank currency’, but in fact the article is an explanation of why any central bank needs a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).

A shortage of EMV chips is creating real risks for payments since these chips enable ATM cash withdrawals and all forms of digital payments.

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issued its working paper 3/2021 ‘How to issue a central bank digital currency’. Written by David Chaum, Christian Grothoff and Thomas Moser, the paper presents the SNB’s thinking about a token-based retail CBDC, a rather different approach from most other central banks.

In the last week there have been a number of payment related stories. What links them all is that they demonstrate that electronic payments face a range of challenges that have a direct impact on customers. The role of the regulator is evident in all of them whether requiring action or ‘guiding’ providers to take action.

Over the past year Currency Research has successfully pivoted to deliver online virtual events across its portfolio, with approximately 50 live and on-demand sessions reaching over 3,000 industry participants across the cash and payments industries.

Jens Eberhardt, Managing Director of Cashinfrapro, has written a useful paper – ‘Green Cash Logistics’ – which considers how modern ways of working can reduce the environmental impact of the cash cycle.

This November, COP26, the UN climate change conference, will take place in Glasgow. Cash & Payment News™ and its sister paper Currency News™ have started work on a paper, ‘Cash: a Roadmap to Sustainability’, ahead of the conference.

Central banks making statements about investigating or working on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) this month include Bank Indonesia, the Bank of Korea (pilot June 2021-January 2022), Bank of Mauritius, the South Africa Reserve Bank (retail CBDC), and the Bank of Thailand.

On 11 June the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) opened its latest Innovation Hub Centre in London following on from hubs in Hong Kong, Singapore and Switzerland that have already been established. Canada, Frankfurt and Paris, Stockholm, supported by all of the Scandinavian central banks, and New York are planned to open in due course.

In 2019 National Westminster Bank (NatWest) commissioned independent academic research to look into the drivers of consumer payment behaviour, including consumer attitudes and intentions towards cash. The research was carried out by Professor Darren Duxbury, Dr Thanos Verousis and by David Marsh. This is a short summary of their work with the full research being published in due course.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has issued its first Sustainability Report for 2020/21. The report has a section dedicated to reducing emissions related to currency operations. MAS has identified four areas of focus to reduce its currency related emissions.

In 2020 the number of ATMs fell slightly according to RBR who are about to publish their ‘Global ATM Market and Forecasts to 2026’ report. In fact, 2020 was a mixed year where the long-term growth in ATM installations slowed rather than stopped.

In 2015 Russia set up a national payments card network called Mir. It was set up with government backing after MasterCard and Visa cut off services to a number of the country’s banks following the annexation of the Crimea.