The beginning of the 21st century remarkably transformed the global payment landscape. Active development of payment alternatives to cash (e-payments, m-payments, contactless payments and e-currencies), rapidly growing number of ATMs and POS terminals, creating by central banks of their own cashless payment systems across the world – all of these factors regularly fuel disputes on the future of cash.

Statistical data, however, shows that the rumors about the death of cash are greatly exaggerated. Global cash assets grow by 4 to 5% annually. By the end of 2014, cash assets level in total volume of transactions reached 46% in the USA, 52% in the Netherlands, 53% in Canada, 82% in Germany and Austria and 73% in Russia. Debit cards are most frequently used among alternative payment tools, with mobile payments’ share being far from a critical level and innovative payment  tools (including e-money which is intensively promoted by proponents of unregulated issues) being used by those «in the know» only and not capable of competing with national currencies.

It, therefore, may safely be said that there is still a long way to go before consumers’ global payment preferences change.

The cash industry is constantly developing: new technology aimed at automatization of processing and cash demand forecasting emerge and commercial banks’ services, such as cash management and effective methods for cash pick-ups and crediting the money to customer’s accounts, become more popular. All of these topics have been covered on a monthly basis in the «BANKNOTES OF THE WORLD: Cash Circulation. Analysis. Counterfeiting» (BoW) Newsletter for more than 10 years.

Being a media partner of the industry’s leading international conferences (Currency Conference, Banknote Conference, ICCOS, High Security Printing, Watermark Conference, etc.), we regularly publish news, articles and interviews on prime events of the cash industry.

Both printed and electronic versions of BoW are accompanied by the e-catalogue «CURRENCIES OF THE WORLD» – «money card» of all countries: 

• Banknotes of 260 states and territories worldwide: legal tenders and banknotes no longer valid.
• Description of key security features (front/back).
• Information about the specifics of cash circulation in each country: FX procedures, availability of convertible and regional currencies, etc.