Currency Users
Spain Introduces Contactless ATM
From specialized high-tech security features to electronic transfers, technology has a profound impact not only on banknotes, but also on everyday banking transactions. That technology continued to grow this week as Spanish bank La Caixa introduced the world to the contactless ATM. Instead of inserting debit cards into a slot, customers using the machines simply [...]
Counterfeit Seizures Up In Czech Republic
Police forces in the Czech Republic have reported an increase in seized counterfeit bills this year, saying the number of forged banknotes retrieved was up by seven per cent compared to last year. To date, Czech authorities have already seized 5,245 banknotes varying in denomination and value, but the increase doesn’t necessarily translate to an [...]
Banknote Protest Movement Moves To China
On the heels of a unique protest movement using banknotes in Iran several months ago, French media outlet The Observers is reporting that a similar movement has found roots in China. The movement sees grassroots protesters writing messages criticizing their government on banknotes to spread their message in an underground and widespread manner. The Chinese [...]
Seven interesting intricacies of Asian currency
All banknotes are intricately designed with particular pictures, security features and unique stories. This article posted on CNNGo.com takes a closer look at seven of the most interesting intricacies of Asian currency. Funny money: The wacky world of Asian currencies by La Carmina @ CNNGo.com #1- India: Thumbs-up and peace sign rupees India’s one-rupee coin [...]
North Korean won plunges in value
Nearly a month after North Korea redenominated its currency at a rate of 100 to 1 (read North Korea changes currency and rates 100 to 1), North Korea changes currency and rates 100 to 1), its international value has also begun to plunge. Reports from South Korea’s Yonhap news agency this week stated the new [...]
Estonia to adopt euro “in the first half of 2010”
The European Union (EU) is set to introduce Estonia into the folds of the euro zone by mid-summer 2010. Marek Belka, the International Monetary Fund’s head for Europe revealed last week that Estonia is on track to fully adopt the single currency. “I hope and I think there is a high likelihood that the EU [...]
Iran deems “Green” banknotes invalid
In response to the increasing circulation of banknotes scribbled with anti-government slogans (read Iranians shift protest movement to banknotes), the Central Bank of Iran said this week that it would no longer accept graffitied banknotes as valid currency. Since the beginning of the Iranian Green Movement (the ink on the banknotes is often green, and [...]
India Attempts Crack Down on ‘Financial Terror’
India will put together a ‘financial terror dossier’ this week in an attempt to garner international support in pressuring Pakistan to immobilize a booming counterfeit currency ring that exports bogus Indian banknotes into the country. Since the attacks in Mumbai last November, India has been aggressively building a number of cases against the neighboring Pakistan, [...]
Iranian’s shift protest movement to banknotes
Protesters in Iran have launched what they are calling a “second level” of protesting, shifting from overt public displays such as street demonstrations and rallies, to more covert tactics like writing protest notes and slogans on rial banknotes – the Iranian currency. With staunch government crackdowns on protest movements throughout the country, pro-democracy protesters are [...]
Japanese company unveils multiple currency ATM
It’s been over 40 years since the world was first introduced to the convenience of an automatic teller machine (ATM). Invented by inventor John Shepherd-Barron, the ATM first made its appearance in London in 1967. Though the machine used PIN (personal identification number) codes it was dependent on checks impregnated with the (slightly) radioactive isotope [...]
