Banknotes are the best know products of the National Bank. They have been printed by the bank since 1851. Like all members of the Eurosystem, it issues banknotes and coins. It is minted by the Royal Mint according to the demand of the banks. This depends on the withdrawals and deposits of the public. Thus, if you want to pay your Auto loan interest rates, you might take advantage of coins & banknotes.

Paying Auto loan interest rates: How are coins and banknotes put into circulation?

Each of you withdraws banknotes from bank counters or ATMs. In order to satisfy their customers’ demand, the banks stock up on supplies from the National Bank. The account maintained by the banks there is debited in the corresponding amount or increased by the corresponding amount when banknotes are submitted.

The National Bank has got influence on the amount of cash in circulation. This depends on economic developments, the public’s fondness for certain means of payment and also on seasonal fluctuations in private household spending.

Auto loan interest rates: How is the cash flow controlled?

Each banknote is returned to the counters of the National Bank on average one to three times a year. They are checked electronically each time and, depending on their condition, destroyed or put back into circulation. Depending on the denomination, a banknote has a lifespan of two to five years.

Forgeries are identified, analyzed, registered and handed over to the police. Dirty or worn banknotes are destroyed and replaced with new ones. Very badly damaged banknotes and the former Belgian franc banknotes – as well as some coins – can be submitted for exchange under well-defined conditions.

Huge amounts of cash change hands every day around the world. In the eurozone alone there are currently more than 17 billion euro banknotes and 111 billion coins in circulation. Although the new security features make the banknotes more and more forgery-proof, counterfeit euro banknotes do appear from time to time.

Securing fingerprints from banknotes, however, is no easy task. The reason is the material. Notes made of cotton paper, as well as polymer, have properties that make conventional security methods fail. Complex background patterns, anti-smudge coating, wear and tear and absorbency cause fingerprints to degrade quickly.