Earlier this month, the Mint Directors Association (MDA) Sustainability Subcommittee hosted a webinar focusing on circularity in the minting industry. Sponsored by Hitachi Solutions, it brought together three industry practitioners to share real-world examples of circular economy principles applied to the minting industry.

The Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) has issued two commemorative coins to mark the Curaçao national football team’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup ; Monnaie de Paris has unveiled a new gold investment offering, Marianne Or, and its digital counterpart, eMarianne Or ; the South African Mint has launched its first-ever high-relief coin collection titled ‘The African Range’; and the National Bank of Ukraine has issued a new commemorative coin honouring Alexandra Exter, a leading figure of the 20th-century European avant-garde – a Ukrainian Cubo-Futurist artist, educator, and a pioneer of Art Deco.

In its latest annual report, the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) states that it navigated a complex operating environment in 2025, marked by economic volatility and geopolitical uncertainty. According to the RCM, the organisation’s ‘One Mint’ strategy was central to its resilience, enabling cross-functional teams to collaborate closely, adapt procurement strategies, and identify new revenue opportunities, particularly in foreign circulation markets and precious metals.

In China, regular commemorative coins enjoy wide public appeal, with a single issue reaching anywhere from tens of millions to over 100 million pieces, which typically require three to four months to produce. The mass production of colourised regular commemorative coins has, as result, required a breakthrough in colour spraying efficiency.

The International Mint Directors’ Technical Committee (IMD-TC) has published updated guidelines regarding quality assurance for circulation coins, with particular focus on characteristic features of plated and clad blanks and coins. The guidelines aim to provide national authorities with support for tenders and even give mints guidelines for quality control of the blanks supplied before the minting process.

ANDRITZ Schuler – the leading manufacturer of equipment for coin and medal production – has announced that, due to persistently challenging economic conditions, it is closing production at the site of its subsidiary ANDRITZ Gräbener in Netphen, Germany. In future, these products will be manufactured together with ANDRITZ Schuler’s systems at its headquarters in Göppingen, Germany.

The Czech Mint has unveiled a new ultra-lightweight gold bullion coin utilising its proprietary THINCUSE™ technology. Struck from 999.9 fine gold and weighing just 1/200 of a troy ounce (0.156 grams), the coin achieves a diameter of 16mm despite a thickness of only 40 micrometres.

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced the results of its prequalification process under IFP No: NRB/COIN/PQ/01/082/83, dated 12 March 2026, for the designing, minting, supply, and delivery of Nepalese coins. Following the tender notice published on 15 December 2025, a total of six international minting organisations have been successfully prequalified for the upcoming coin minting cycle.

The 22nd iteration of the World Money Fair (WMF) Technical Forum took place on 28 January, with this year's event offering 14 specialist presentations and providing a comprehensive overview of current innovations in the coin industry. In this month’s issue of Coin & Mint News™, we review the first five papers from the 2026 Technical Forum.

The Mennica Polska Capital Group (of which the Mint of Poland is part) closed 2025 with significant financial and operational growth across its key business areas, marking another year of expansion for the organisation.

Monnaie de Paris (MdP) has announced strong financial and operational results for 2025, marking its sixth consecutive year of positive profitability and reinforcing the institution’s ongoing transformation. Contrary to forecasts of a decline in revenue following an ‘exceptional year’ in 2024, largely driven by the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, MdP has reported an historic turnover at year end.

Registration is now open for The Coin Conference 2026, which is scheduled to take place in Budapest, Hungary, from 28-30 September. The main programme for the event is currently being finalised and is set to be released soon. In the meantime, the two pre-conference workshops have now been announced.

Production of the humble penny (one cent coin), long a staple of US American currency, officially ceased last year. This seems to have created an unexpected set of challenges for businesses, banks, and consumers across the United States. While pennies remain legal tender and existing coins will continue to circulate, access to them has already become an issue, prompting retailers to adopt new practices and the US Treasury to issue guidance.

What do people do with spare cash, particularly coins? That is the perennial question asked by central banks, mints, and those involved in ensuring that cash continues to circulate effectively. Although there is a phenomenal amount of cash in circulation, there is often a gap between circulation/production figures and availability of certain denominations on the street. This is arguably a greater issue with lower denominations and therefore coins specifically, and it is unsurprising that companies are noticing the issue and developing systems to gather spare cash and get it back into circulation. Enter Changebox and its founder and CEO, Chase Goggans.

The recent World Money Fair, held annually in Berlin at the end of January and beginning of February, is typically titled ‘the largest coin fair in the world’. This year’s iteration welcomed 320 exhibitors to the three day event, including mints and national banks from around 50 countries.

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.

In August 2024, Global Coin Solutions incorporated its first overseas subsidiary office in Tokyo. Nearly 18 months after the company’s expansion into the heart of Asia’s coin market, Coin & Mint News™ caught up with founder and President, Scott Hutchings, about its development, the complexities of global coin repatriation, and the growing social impact of its charitable initiatives.

In the Chinese conception of time, Chinese New Year is a vital juncture for new beginnings and new prospects, while the Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs serve as cultural markers of time cycles. Among the zodiac animals, the fire horse symbolises vitality, freedom, reliability, progress, and success. The 2026 circulating commemorative coin for the Year of the Horse marks the final issue of the second series of Chinese New Year commemorative circulating coins.

The issue of estimated coin life has been a subject of speculation for a long time. There are limited data and systematic studies about the life of coins. Publicly available information from world mints suggests that coins could remain in circulation for at least 25 or 30 years. There are other sources suggesting that coins could last in circulation much longer and their lifetime could even exceed 50 years.

As debates continue about the future of money, one institution consistently aware of and exploring the crossroads of cash, digital currency, and economic sovereignty is Monnaie de Paris. At the recent World Money Fair in Berlin, Coin & Mint News™ spoke to its CEO, Marc Schwartz, about the role of cash in an increasingly digital world, the Mint’s continuing success, and the launch of several new programmes in 2026.

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

The International Currency Association (ICA) and the International Mint Industry Association (IMIA) have announced that they will merge to become a combined industry association. The two organisations will join forces under the ICA umbrella, aiming to unite the global currency industry more closely and strengthen the collective voice for cash, including both banknotes and coins.

The Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) has secured a new multi-year contract with the Central Bank of Ireland to mint all Irish collector coins and, from May 2026, €2 commemorative coins celebrating Irish culture and heritage. This agreement represents a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between RDM and several European central banks.

When ensuring payment efficiency, the goal is to minimise the number of coins and notes required to make and settle a payment. There are many ways to achieve this. Perhaps the simplest methodology to achieve an optimal currency structure for coins and banknotes is the principle of least effort, ie. the settlement of cash transactions using, on average, as few coins and/or banknotes as possible.