Central Banks and Cash Round-Up

This month, the focus of our periodic series of articles covering cash information in central bank annual and other reports is split between Europe and Asia, with updates from Germany, Portugal, Spain, Hong Kong, Korea and Sri Lanka.

Deutsche Bundesbank

Banknotes in circulation: at the end of 2024, the Bundesbank held a 24.5% share of the total value of all euro banknotes in circulation. During the year, the total value of banknotes in circulation within the Eurosystem increased from €1,567.7 billion to €1,588.3 billion, a rise of 1.3%.

As per the allocation key, the value of euro banknotes in circulation at the Bundesbank was €389.1 billion at the end of the year, up from €377 billion the previous year, a rise of just under 4%.

Counterfeiting: in 2024, the Bundesbank recorded approximately 72,400 counterfeit euro banknotes, with a total nominal value of €4.5 million – a 28% increase from the previous year.