In Other News...

• The National Bank of Cambodia has issued new 200 and 2,000 riel banknotes. The 200 riels is effectively a reintroduction, having last been issued in 1992, albeit a commemorative version was issued in 2013. It features a portrait of King Norodom Sihamoni in his youth. The 20,000 riel note, which was last issued in 2018, also features a portrait of the King, but as an adult. Other images on the notes include traditional sculptures, statues and architecture.

• Banque du Liban is issuing an updated 100,000 livres banknote as part of an ongoing upgrade that has seen the replacement of the threads in several of the notes in the series with RAPID® micro-optics threads from Crane.

The replacement started in 2019 with a new 20,000 livres – the first to feature Crane’s machine readable RAPID® Detect. It was followed in 2020 by the 50,000 livres, in late 2021 by the 10,000 livres and, this April, by the 5,000 livres. The new 100,00 livres (which is the most widely used denomination in Lebanon, accounting for over 85% of all notes issued) completes the upgrade.

• The Maldives Monetary Authority has issued a 50 rufiyaa banknote which is the first in the series to carry the country’s new currency symbol. This symbol was unveiled in July and will be applied to all the notes in the series in due course.

• It has been reported that the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) will shortly issue two commemorative banknotes – a 20 hryvnia referencing the Russian invasion of the country, and a 500 hryvnia commemorating the 300th anniversary of the birth of the philosopher Grigori Skorovoda.

It has also issued a circulation commemorative coin entitled the ‘Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine’s Armed Forces’, part of a series honouring the country’s armed service personnel. The specifications are the same as the nickel plated zinc 10 hryvnia circulation coin of 2018, as is the design on the front. But the design of the reverse features two stylised figures of servicemen, the logotype of the Territorial Defense Forces, and their motto ‘Ready for Resistance’.

The coin has a mintage of up to 10 million (including 500,000 units as souvenir products in specially designed rolls).

• The Central Bank of Nigeria has unveiled the new 200, 500 and 1,000 naira banknotes, which will go into circulation later this month (the new 100 naira note was not included in the unveiling).

The design is identical to those of the notes they are replacing, but the colours are significantly different, prompting many to dub the change a revamp rather than a redesign. The only new security feature appears to be additional fluorescent ink.

There will be a short period of co-circulation, before the existing notes are demonetised at the end of January 2023.

• The South African Reserve Bank has unveiled the designs and specifications of the Fourth Decimal Coin Series of South Africa, which will become legal tender from 1 January 2023.

The key change in the next series is that the word ‘South Africa’ will be inserted on one side of the coins and minted in all 11 official languages. The coins will be produced on a rotational system, with the official languages being alternated annually over the next ten years.

On the R5 three languages will be used, on the R2 and 50, 20 and 10 cents two languages, and one on the R1.

The R5 will be a bimetallic alloy, the R2 and R1 nickel plated steel (in place of nickel plated copper), the 50 and 20 cents bronze plated steel and the 10 cents copper plated steel.

The dimensions remain the same as the current series, and the coat of arms on the front will be retained. But the existing images on the back – of flora for the 50 cents below and fauna for the R1 and above - will be replaced with new images of native fauna throughout.