Regulatory Alerts2022-02-23
Added · Updated
Monitoring compliance with the rules and regulations on recirculation of euro banknotes and coins – cash handler requirements
Cash handlers are required to check euro banknotes and coins for authenticity and fitness before recirculation in accordance with procedures defined by the ECB and EU regulations. Failure to comply with these standards authorizes the regulator to impose formal measures, including administrative fines or orders subject to penalty, on the affected entities.
Factsheet
Read aloud
Statutory requirements apply to cash handlers regarding the obligation to check euro banknotes for authenticity and fitness before recirculation, since improper handling of cash payments by cash handlers would have major consequences for public trust in euro banknotes and coins.
Published: 23 February 2022
Euro banknotes
The European Parliament and the Council have laid down in Article 6 of Regulation (EC) 1338/2001 , as amended by Regulation (EC) 44/2009 that euro banknotes must be checked for authenticity and fitness in accordance with procedures defined by the ECB. The ECB has laid down these procedures in Decision ECB/2010/14. The general principle is that all parties involved in processing and distributing euro banknotes to the public or recirculating them via ATMs or other cash machines are to comply with the rules and regulations of their own accord.
Euro coins
Article 6 of Regulation (EC) 1338/2001, as amended by Regulation (EC) 44/2009 does not specify the procedures for checking euro coins for authenticity and fitness. However, in Regulation (EU) 1210/2010 the European Parliament and the Council have laid down the procedures for euro coin authentication and the handling of euro coins that are unfit for recycling. The general principle is that all parties involved in processing and distributing euro coins to the public are to comply with the rules and regulations of their own accord.
Formal measures
If cash handlers fail to comply with the standards, we are authorised to impose formal measures such as an administrative fine or an order subject to penalty.
Links
ECB/2010/14 on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes (Refers to an external site)
ECB/2012/19 amending Decision ECB/2010/14 on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes (Refers to an external site)
ECB/2019/39 amending Decision ECB/2010/14 on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes (Refers to an external site)
Decision on the designation of supervisors for the recirculation of euro banknotes (Refers to an external site)
Related topics
Supervision of cash handlers - Supervision practice
Supervision of cash handlers - Powers of supervision
Supervision of cash handlers - Enforcement policy
Discover related articles
Factsheet
Capital
Banks
Payment institutions
Share:
Share on LinkedIn
Share on X
Share on Facebook
Share via Email
Interesting articles
Prudential rules do not hinder bank financing for EU priorities
17 July 2026
News item supervision
Europe faces historic investment challenges, in which banks will play an important financing role. Prudential requirements strengthen banks’ resilience, without posing a major obstacle to their financing. Unlocking more private finance requires better risk-sharing and deeper financial integration.
Read more Prudential rules do not hinder bank financing for EU priorities
News item supervision
17 July 2026
DNB Inhouse Day for the Dutch banking sector: financial crime supervision
16 July 2026
News item supervision
Following last year’s successful event, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) will again host an Inhouse Day for AML/CFT professionals in the Dutch banking sector. The event is designed to encourage dialogue and provide further insight into DNB’s AML/CFT supervision.
Read more DNB Inhouse Day for the Dutch banking sector: financial crime supervision
News item supervision
16 July 2026
Fine for ABN AMRO Bank N.V. for inadequate customer due diligence for high-risk customers
09 July 2026
Enforcement measures
De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) imposed an administrative fine of €8.5 million on ABN AMRO Bank N.V. (ABN AMRO) on 6 July 2026 due to serious shortcomings in its anti-money laundering controls in the period from September 2023 through September 2024.
Read more Fine for ABN AMRO Bank N.V. for inadequate customer due diligence for high-risk customers
Enforcement measures
09 July 2026
De Nederlandsche Bank publishes ‘Integrity Supervision in Focus 2026’
25 June 2026
News item supervision
In the third edition of ‘Integrity Supervision in Focus’ (ISF), we share the key insights from our integrity supervision.
Read more De Nederlandsche Bank publishes ‘Integrity Supervision in Focus 2026’
News item supervision
25 June 2026
Necessary cookies
To ensure the proper operation of the website, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) uses functional cookies and analytics cookies, and has taken measures to ensure that these cookies have little or no impact on the privacy of website users.
Optional cookies
Some pages include embedded content from external websites. These websites may use proprietary (tracking) cookies. This allows third parties to track visitor statistics, show personalised content and display targeted ads, for example.
You can make your choice about allowing these optional cookies both when you first visit the website and when you navigate to a page with embedded content.
More like this from DNB
We email you every new DNB publication the day it's published.