The European Payments Initiative (EPI) is a Europe-wide bank-backed venture set up to build a European rival to Mastercard and Visa.

The Bank of Canada is stepping back from a implementation of a CBDC.

Two articles about innovation. One about types of company that innovate. The second asking us to think radically about how to leverage coming technology.

Mobile banking allows people to manage financial services via their smartphones. No wonder it is the fastest growing banking channel, with big implications for traditional options such as bank branches.

The Bank of England’s 2023/24 report outlines significant activities related to banknotes, payments and digital currency. Banknote value and volume in circulation was flat but net seigniorage income was up 153%. The Bank continues to make progress on its net zero carbon goals.

An article about the challenges of public transport digital ticketing lays out the general problems of going digital.

Currency Research has launched the AI Bootcamp, facilitated by The Centre for Alternative Finance at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, which will explore AI tools and strategies for revolutionising supervisory innovation, with practical insights and a tailored roadmap for AI adoption.

McKinsey’s has published a list of the top 15 tech trends to follow. Chris Skinner, an independent commentator on the financial markets and an author, highlighted this recently in his blog, TheFinanser.com.

The Cash Cycle Seminars (ICCOS) are annual events from Currency Research (CR) that bring global knowledge to regional markets in the Americas, Asia, and EMEA.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a paper considering the security of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). While there are frequent papers covering CBDCs and design features affecting privacy, financial inclusion, and the impact on monetary policy, it is rare for security to be covered. The paper lays out why and how a CBDC is different from existing digital payments and reviews the risks they face.

A recent blog by Sam Bobeov and Fintech Wrap on Payment : Unpacked asked who gets left behind in a cashless world.

The UK’s Competition Appeals Tribunal has rejected an appeal by Visa and Mastercard against a class action that claimed that businesses that received payments by commercial cards paid fees much higher than they should have been, causing them significant losses.

In June and September 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provided support to the Banco Central de la República Dominicana (BCRD) to explore CBDC.

A recent article in Forbes makes the case for Self-Sovereign Decentralised Identity to be used to address privacy issues with CBDCs.

The fifth edition of the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2024 was held 28-30 August in Mumbai. It focused on the ‘Blueprint for the Next Decade of Finance: Responsible AI, Inclusive, Resilient’. The GFF is organised by the Payments Council of India (PCI), the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and the Fintech Convergence Council (FCC).

Those who oppose CBDC use a range of arguments. One is a general argument that fiat money allows governments to expand the money supply at will, removing the constraint on government to pursue ‘sound money’.

The ‘Privacy Paradox’ is where people claim more concern with privacy than their actual behaviour indicates. This ‘say-do gap’ exists in many areas, including the need for cash to be maintained, but despite that, it means organisations are forced to respond.

At the recent Cash Sustainability Forum in Frankfurt, Cash InfraPro presented on the challenges and opportunities of making the cash supply chain work well.

The World Economic Forum has recently published an article describing Colombia’s work to create Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), a key element of which is interoperable digital payments.

The CBDC Conference takes place 10- 12 September in Istanbul. One recently announced element of the agenda is a Governor’s panel chaired by John Ho, Standard Chartered.