Global glimpse
 

The Australian

16.02.05

Excerpts

Noteworthy

The home of modern capitalism—the US—continues to be a laggard in the move from paper to plastic bank notes. The fear is that Americans might find them "cheap looking'', according to The Economist. The US Treasury Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing have been testing polymer banknotes for nearly a decade. And having had plastic 20-peso notes since 2002, this year Mexico decided to issue its 50-peso note in plastic too. Now 23 countries, including Kuwait, Indonesia, Chile and Zambia, have plastic notes. Some—such as Brazil and China, which has had paper notes since the 7th century—use them only for special bills. Australia started the polymer trend in 1988.