Cape Town Provides Backdrop to Intersection of Cash and Payments

At the end of November last year, the EMEA Cash Cycle & Payments Seminar took place in Cape Town, South Africa. Organised by Currency Research, the seminar was one of the best-attended regional cash events in recent years, with over 245 delegates from various sectors, including central banks, commercial banks, cash-in-transit companies, and technology providers.

The seminar offered a detailed programme comprising three full days of workshops, standalone papers, and panel discussions, together with an extensive exhibition.

Topics ranged from the forecasting, efficiency, resilience, and sustainability of cash, to the future of cash in transit, and the intersection of cash, digital payments, and currency confidence in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Of particular note was an overview of South Africa’s cash ecosystem by Pearl Kgalegi of the South African Reserve Bank. She described how, despite the growing use of digital payment systems in the country, currency in circulation between 2013-23 increased by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4%, while the number of ATMs and bank branches in operation remained steady.