Following the approval of the legal framework that recognizes Bitcoin as a legal tender in El Salvador, one out of two local businessmen are concerned that the circulation of the cryptocurrency is mandatory and one out of three are distrustful of this change in the laws.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of El Salvador carried out a survey among its members, businessmen in general and citizen consumers to know the expectations of the productive sector regarding the implementation of the cryptocurrency.
The Central Bank of Honduras tenders the printing and supply of 460 million pieces of banknotes and the minting of 30 million pieces of coins.
Honduras Government Purchase LPrivada No.02-2019:
"Printing and supply of four hundred and sixty million (460,000,000) pieces of bank notes of different denominations, required to adapt the inventories of monetary values of the Central Bank of Honduras."
The Bank of Costa Rica is putting out to tender high-volume verification, counting and sorting machines for banknotes and coins.
Costa Rica Government Purchase 2018LN-000005-01:
"Details of the machines required:
- Fifteen high-volume banknote counters, sorters and checkers.The machines must have at least three output receivers (pockets), one rejection pocket and the feed pocket (total 5), with programming of each output handled independently on site by the Bank user, without the need to depend on technicians from the company.The feed pocket must have a minimum capacity of 500 bills, and in each output pocket a minimum of 250 bills.
The stock price of Copa Holdings has fallen and at the same time the airline has stopped accepting Argentina's currency for ticket sales.
Restrictions in Argentina for converting local currency to dollars and for sending funds abroad, have now forced American Airlines and Air Canada to take the same measure implemented by Copa.
For every coin of 25 cents made by the Royal Mint of Canada, the Panamanian government paid 19 cents.
Data collected from documents published on PanamaCompra by Prensa.com shows that "... This year, the MEF signed with the Canadian company a contract for the manufacture of 12 million coins in denomintions of 25 cents with a value of 2 million 280 thousand US dollars. "
Following the ending of the contract with the company Exact Change, which offers the service of exchanging currency, Aeris Holding Costa Rica has started procedures for selecting a new provider.
The company managing Juan Santamaria International Airport announced the end of the contract with the Spanish exchange services provider Exact Change, due to the fact that it has not completed the process of registering with the Central Bank of Costa Rica and the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. Therefore preparations are being made, for the coming months, to release specifications for a new tender for the service.
The Central Bank is putting out to tender the printing and supply of four hundred fifty million (450,000,000) pieces of banknotes in various denominations.
Honduras Government Purchase L Private No.03-2014:
"Recruitment for printing and supply of four hundred fifty million (450,000,000) banknotes of different denominations."
The deadline for submission of bids is September 9, 2014.
From May 2013 to May 2014 the balance of deposits in dollars increased by 15%.
Up to May this year the balance of current accounts in dollars totaled $3.107 billion and in savings accounts $1.673 billion, 15% and 10% more than in May 2013, respectively. Moreover, certificates of fixed term deposits in foreign currency placed with financial institutions, cooperatives and the Central Government in May 2014 show an increase of 80% compared to the same month last year, according to a central bank report.
It has been noted that the Costa Rican Colon could depreciate 20% more against the dollar in the U.S. and with that correction the exchange rate will reach 650 colones per dollar during 2014.
The accelerated depreciation of the colon against the dollar in the first months of this year could continue throughout 2014. The Costa Rican Colon has room to continue to depreciate by a further 20% against the dollar, according to analysis of the real exchange rate of the Central Bank of Costa Rica.
The Bank of Guatemala has lowered the leading policy rate, the reference for interest rates in the domestic financial system, from 5% to 4.75%.
The Monetary Board decided to lower the leading policy rate by 0.25 percentage points based on the external and internal economy, seeing a recovery in global economic activity.
From a press release issued by the Bank of Guatemala:
Appreciation of the quetzal against the dollar has affected the income of exporters who are asking the monetary authority to stop overvaluation of the local currency.
The President of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport) reported that the strength of the quetzal is causing products in the country to be more expensive and therefore a change in monetary policy is needed.
The Central Bank of Costa Rica has purchased $57 million in the wholesale market to keep the exchange rate from falling below ¢500 per dollar.
The operation is the second largest so far in 2013, after January 9, when the institution was forced to buy $78 million, and the first since August 19.
"During the past three weeks the exchange rate has shown its greatest volatility of the year ranging between ¢505 and ¢500" reports elfinancierocr.com.
The banking system's need to raise money in foreign currency and other internal factors are pushing rates upward.
This is the projection by Adriana Rodriguez, head of strategy at Aldesa. "In the U.S., information from the most recent meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve has fueled speculation that the bank's policies to stimulate the U.S. economy are entering final stages," noted an article in Elfinancierocr.com.
The Provisions Unit - Purchases and Control of Budgetary Expenses - at the Bank of Guatemala is putting out to tender services for metal coin minting.
The tender is for the procurement of coinage (manufacturing and supply) of 100 million coins in the denomination of one quetzal (Q1, 00) in brass coated steel, according to resolution JM-36-2013.
The deadline for submission of bids is June 7, 2013.