A press release by Safaricom has announced that Kenyan M-Pesa users can now send funds to recipients in Uganda thanks to a partnership with mobile operator MTN. M-Pesa is a mobile phone based money transfer service which was launched in 2007 by Vodaphone for Safaricom and Vodacom – the largest mobile telecommunication services in Kenya…
The Bank of Israel has released the next denomination in its new banknote series, the 200 shekels banknote. Yesterday, the Bank issued a press release advising that the new 200 denomination was being distributed to the public via commercial banks, ATMs and the Israel Postal Company. It is the second denomination of the ‘Series C…
According to online news sources, Zimbabwe has announced that it will make the Chinese yuan legal tender following confirmation that China would cancel $40 million in debts. During a statement by the country’s minister Patrick Chinamasa regarding the debt cancellation, it was advised that Zimbabwe would start using the Chinese yuan as it seeks to increase trade…
The 200 boliviano banknote has been upgraded by the Banco Central de Bolivia, the country’s central bank. The latest upgrade of the boliviano banknote is part of the new “J” series of banknotes from Bolivia. The 200 boliviano banknote was first issued in 1987 and was last upgraded in 2005. The upgraded paper banknote includes a 4mm wide…
The European Central Bank (ECB) has today issued the new euro 20 banknote, the latest in the second series of euro banknotes, named “Europa”. The paper banknote, which is mainly blue in colour, consists of new and up-to-date security features to help combat the use of counterfeit banknotes, including tactile features for the visually impaired,…
China’s Central Bank will issue an upgraded 100 yuan banknote from tomorrow, Thursday the 12th November 2015. Though the note looks very similar to its predecessor, it contains various security feature upgrades to help combat counterfeiting. The Bank states there are at least seven improvements to the note’s design which, it claims, will allow cash…
Taxi hailing app Uber has begun accepting cash payments for rides in Indonesia, specifically within the city of Bandung where over two million people reside. Uber users traditionally use a registered payment card to pay for their rides using the Uber app, but in countries where the use of credit or debit cards is less…
On Monday 2 November 2015, the Maldives Monetary Authority launched their new family of banknotes using banknote printer De La Rue’s Safeguard® polymer substrate. The new notes, consisting of Rufiyaa 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000, have been printed , and include De La Rue’s Mask™ intaglio ink feature “These beautiful and secure new banknotes…
Bulgaria’s Central Bank, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), has announced that it will issue a new 2 leva circulating coin on the 7th December 2015. The bi-metal coin, which will be issued alongside the current 2 leva banknote, was designed by Vanya Dimitrova and will consist of a yellow coloured central core with a silver…
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the country’s Central Bank, has issued a new 5-rupee coin. The new coin has a different metal composition than its predecessor, consisting of 79% copper, 20% zinc and 1% nickel. The coin is also different in size, now measuring 18.5mm. The existing 5-rupee coin will continue to be legal…