A few recent personnel updates from Osborne Coinage, the Lithuanian Mint, and the Royal Canadian Mint.

Bullion International Group (BIG), part of MKS PAMP GROUP, has signed a binding agreement to acquire a majority stake in SOLIT. The acquisition marks a new step in BIG’s international growth strategy, expanding its European footprint.

According to the European Central Bank, gold has overtaken the euro to become the second largest global reserve asset after the US dollar. The ECB’s most recent annual report on the international role of the euro notes that central bank gold demand remained at record highs in 2024, accounting for more than 20% of global demand – in contrast to around one-tenth on average in the 2010s.

As CMN went to press, the US Treasury officially confirmed the end of penny production, following the Trump administration’s order to cease minting the coins earlier this year. The Department will stop issuing new pennies into circulation by early next year, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Reconnaissance International, co-publisher of Coin & Mint News™, has launched DataVault™, the industry’s first dedicated, searchable online database for coins and banknotes – designed specifically for currency professionals who need fast, reliable, and up-to-date information.

Spain is reportedly the latest country considering cash rounding, after a proposal has been tabled to eliminate the one and two cent coins. The news closely follows the German National Cash Forum’s cash rounding advocacy last month, which asked the country’s Federal Ministry of Finance to ‘advocate for...a binding statutory rounding rule in Germany’.

The Central Bank of Solomon Islands has issued a new $1 coin into circulation featuring a new effigy on the obverse. The updated version retains the same dimensions as the previous issue, in addition to the Nguzu Nguzu motif on its reverse, but replaces the effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II with that of King Charles III designed by Dan Thorne.

Two years after Croatia officially adopted the euro as its currency, around 4.3 billion kuna remains unexchanged. This includes 3.1 billion in banknotes and 1.2 billion in coins.

The Bank of Zambia has announced the introduction of a new family of the Zambian currency. The new family of banknotes and coins will consist of six coins and six banknotes, and is scheduled for launch on 31 March 2025.

Estonia has officially introduced new rounding rules as of 1 January, with the country also planning to cease minting 1 and 2 cent coins.