The Coin Conference takes place in Amsterdam 17-19 October 2022. Since the last Coin Conference was in 2019, it is not surprising that the agenda is busy and full of substance, reflecting all that has happened in the last three years.
The conference starts with two workshops. The first is presented by the Mint Directors Conference (MDC) Customer Task Force looking at the key issues and latest priorities for circulating coins, including their role in the cash cycle in times of crisis and the needs of the public.
The second will focus on coins and the environment. This is in three parts, central banks talking about their priorities in this area, producers sharing their Environment, Social and Governance work and a look at what technology can offer.
The programme for the main agenda is divided into eight sessions:
Setting the Scene
Cash and Coin Demand
Coin Circulation Initiatives
Coin Management and Optimisation
Technology
Metals, Costs and Recycling
Sustainability and the Environment
Digitisation and the New Frontier for Coins.
Examples of some of the papers include cooperating to mitigate excess coins stocks (Bank of Portugal), new initiatives for an efficient coin cycle (Bank of Spain), removing low denomination coins from circulation (Casa de Moneda de Chile), demand issues for the 20 peso (Bank of Mexico), the behaviour and evolution of cash payment trends in France (Monnaie de Paris), recirculation initiatives (from Narodowy Bank Polski and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas), preparing for the euro changeover (Croatian Mint), and the environment impact of cash versus digital payments (Mint Directors Working Group).
Of particular interest will be the keynote presentation, by the Federal Reserve and the US Mint, on disruption to coin circulation and steps towards future resilience, where they will unveil for the first time a ground-breaking new report on how to avoid the issues of lack of coins circulating in future that characterised payments during the pandemic.
Following the conference, there will be a tour (for central banks and coin issuers) of the Royal Dutch Mint’s new coin facility in Utrecht. Opened in 2020, during the peak of the pandemic, this purpose- designed building is the first energy neutral mint in Europe, and has been designed with both sustainability and security at its core.
The Royal Dutch Mint is also hosting a pre-conference reception in Utrecht, providing an opportunity for those who aren’t eligible for the whole tour to nevertheless experience the scale of the new facility.
Other events include the presentation of the IACA Excellence in Currency Awards 2022, a reception on the evening of 18 October and, following the conclusion of proceedings on 19 October, the M.One-sponsored Coin Conference football match, to which all are invited (as players and/or spectators).
