Professional Cash Handlers

Online course about the authenticity and fitness of euro cash

One of key tasks of professional cash handlers is ensuring that euro banknotes and coins in circulation are authentic and fit. This means that all euro banknotes and coins that are known or reasonably suspected to be counterfeit and all banknotes and coins that are unfit for further circulation and no longer of the requisite quality should be withdrawn from circulation.

Banka Slovenije has prepared an online course about the authenticity and fitness of euro cash for professional cash handlers. Participants will learn how to identify authentic and fit euro banknotes and coins, and the security features of euro banknotes and coins that help in distinguishing genuine cash from counterfeits. They will also learn the criteria for assessing the fitness of euro banknotes and coins for further circulation, as they can be worn out or damaged during use.

Information for professional cash handlers (banks and currency exchange operators)

In accordance with Article 6 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 of 28 June 2001 laying down measures necessary for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting, professional cash handlers are obliged to withdraw from circulation all euro banknotes that they know to be or have sufficient reason to believe to be counterfeit. The banknotes must be turned over immediately to the competent national authority, i.e. the police. Article 6 of the Decree on the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 105/11) stipulates that if the authenticity of euro banknotes is not confirmed on the basis of classification carried out in accordance with Annexes IIa and IIb of the ECB decision or on the basis of manual authentication performed by trained staff, the banknotes in question must be turned over to the competent police station immediately, or within a maximum of 20 business days.

Professional cash handlers thus have greater responsibility for recognising counterfeits that must be withdrawn from circulation. The same procedural rules that apply to cash processors also apply to them.

Green border: GENUINE, red border: FAKE

Information for professional cash handlers (cashiers)

In accordance with Banka Slovenije’s Regulation on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes, trained staff at cash processors are those who are (a) familiar with the public security features of euro banknotes set out and published by the Eurosystem, and are capable of checking these features, and (b) familiar with the sorting criteria cited in Appendix 3b of the aforementioned regulation, and able to check euro banknotes against these criteria. To make it easier for cashiers to access information and standardise their knowledge, Banka Slovenije has prepared an e-learning tool for them.

Cash handling

Banknote recycling (BRF)

Authenticity and fitness checking, and recirculation of euro banknotes

On 16 September 2010 the ECB issued the Decision on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes (ECB/2010/14), which was amended by the Decision of the European Central Bank of 7 September 2012 amending Decision ECB/2010/14 on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes (ECB/2012/19) and the Decision of the European Central Bank of 5 December 2019 amending Decision ECB/2010/14 on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes (ECB/2019/39). The aforementioned decision replaces the Framework for the detection of counterfeits and fitness sorting by credit institutions and other professional cash handlers with regard to the fitness of banknotes for use in circulation. The new decision expands the list of those facing the requirements (previously credit institutions and professional cash handlers) to include payment service providers and other economic entities in accordance with Article 6(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 laying down measures necessary for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting, which was amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2009 laying down measures necessary for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting (Regulation 1338/2001/EC). Cash handlers may only recirculate euro banknotes if they have been checked for both fitness and authenticity. These checks can be carried out either by a banknote handling machine listed on the ECB website, or by trained staff.

Regulation on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes, and reporting to Banka Slovenije

To this end Banka Slovenije issued the Regulation on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes, which was published on 21 December 2010 in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia (No. 103/10), amended by the Regulation amending the Regulation on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes, which was published on 8 March 2013 in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia (No. 20/13). Cash handlers are required to report their principal and operational data to Banka Slovenije in accordance with the Guidelines for implementing the Regulation on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes, which were amended by the Guidelines amending the Guidelines for implementing the Regulation on the authenticity and fitness checking and recirculation of euro banknotes (Appendix 1, Appendix 2).

Successful testing of euro banknote handling machines and banknote authentication devices

A list of all successfully tested euro banknote handling machines is published on the ECB website. All machines that pass the testing will be listed on the ECB website within one month of passing the test. A machine will be removed from the website after 12 months, unless it has been re-tested during annual testing or a retest.

Results of the testing of banknote authentication devices, which primarily benefit retailers and others in detecting counterfeit euro banknotes (the devices do not comply with the ECB decision) are also published on the ECB website. The ECB publishes information about tested devices because it wants to help euro banknote users to choose between the various devices available.

Decree on the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 of 28 June 2001 laying down measures necessary for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting, amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2009 of 18 December 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 laying down measures necessary for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting.

The Slovenian government drafted the Decree on the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 of 28 June 2001 laying down measures necessary for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting, amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2009 of 18 December 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 laying down measures necessary for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting, which was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia (No. 105/11 of 23 December 2011). The aforementioned decree sets out the misdemeanours for breaches of Regulation 1338/2001/EC, and the competent authority for supervising the implementation of Regulation 1338/2001/EC.

Coin recycling (CRF)

Authenticity and fitness checking, and handling of euro coins unfit for circulation

The European Commission drafted Regulation (EU) No 1210/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2010 concerning authentication of euro coins and handling of euro coins unfit for circulation (OJ L 339 of 22 December 2010; hereinafter: Regulation 1210/2010/EU) with the aim of establishing the effective and uniform authentication of euro coins throughout the euro area. Regulation 1210/2010/EU is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. The institutions set out in Article 6(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 laying down measures necessary for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting, which was amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2009 amending Regulation (EC) 1338/2001 laying down measures necessary for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting, include credit institutions, other payment service providers within the framework of their payment activities, and economic entities engaged in the sorting and distribution to the public of euro coins (e.g. currency exchange operators and cash-in-transit companies).

Regulation on the rules for reporting in accordance with Regulation 1210/2010/EU and compensation for the costs associated with the procedure of returning and replacing euro coins unfit for circulation

Banka Slovenije published the Regulation on the rules for reporting in accordance with Regulation 1210/2010/EU and compensation for the costs associated with the procedure of returning and replacing euro coins unfit for circulation in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 100/11 of 9 December 2011 (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2). Via the aforementioned regulation Banka Slovenije drafted the detailed rules for reporting and set out the amount of compensation that the relevant parties are required to pay for services associated with the procedure of returning and replacing euro coins unfit for circulation.

Successful testing of euro coin processing machines

Pursuant to Article 5(2) of Regulation 1210/2010/EU, the European Commission has published a list of all coin processing machines for which a positive and valid detection test report summary has been received and prepared by the European Technical and Scientific Centre (ETSC). A machine will be removed from the website after 12 months, unless it has been re-tested during annual testing or a retest.

Decree on the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 1210/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2010 concerning authentication of euro coins and handling of euro coins unfit for circulation

The Slovenian government drafted the Decree on the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 1210/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2010 concerning authentication of euro coins and handling of euro coins unfit for circulation, which was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 77/11 of 3 October 2011. The aforementioned decree sets out the misdemeanours for breaches of Regulation 1210/2010/EU, and the competent authority for supervising the implementation of Regulation 1210/2010/EU.