Wrapping Up

The Americas Cash Cycle Seminar (ICCOS) 2014

We are happy to announce the successful close of another Cash Cycle Seminar – the Americas seminar concluded on Thursday December 8^th in Miami, Florida and brought together 249 delegates from 33 countries to discuss, engage and network within the industry. Central bank, commercial bank, cash management company/CiT, mint and supplier delegates came together to partake in 2.5 days of case studies and best practice presentations, panel discussions, breakout meetings with new technology on display and networking time to find out what their colleagues and peers in the industry have been involved in. As one delegate from Brink’s commented: “I found the [seminar] to be very well organized, informative and many industry experts sharing critical knowledge about the cash cycle. This seminar is a must for anyone involved with cash.”

The presentations focused on many different aspects of the cash cycle, from Supply Chain Logistics Has Revolutionized Retail – Let’s Do the Same for Cash by the Federal Reserve System Cash Product Office to The Evolution of Cash in Transit in Latin America by Intertecno and Witz Co. Tecnodev or the International Wholesale/Retail of Banknotes by Brink’s Global Services. One of the highlights that generated discussions across the board was the panel discussion on Cash Processing – Is Outsourcing the Answer? Discussing the key drivers behind their decisions, the commercial bank experts opened up the dialogue to the delegates to share what impacted their decision, the criteria used to make the decisions and also the multiple strategies that could be used for full outsourcing, partial outsourcing or simply not outsourcing at all. Moderated by Treasury Strategies, Inc., panelists from Bank of America, MUFG Union Bank, PNC Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank all took part to help their industry colleagues by sharing their experiences.

Another successful presentation was that of the Bank of Canada and Giesecke & Devrient, which was on Modernizing the Note Exchange System in Canada. This presentation looked at the joint project that was undertaken in Canada which is used to manage regional inventories and facilitates the exchange of bank notes between participating financial institutions and the Bank of Canada. With the rise of electronic payments, the presentation on Bitcoin Fundamentals – What Does the Future Hold by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston generated discussions and caused delegates to consider the future of such crypto currencies and how they might be used and regulated in the future. A delegate from KeyBank stated: “The shared information was relevant to my daily responsibilities and I was able to grasp meaningful knowledge to shape a positive vision for my cash processing solutions.”

The Post-Seminar Symposium on Banknote Production was well received by the delegates who were interested to learn exactly where the cash cycle started and how decisions and driving factors chosen at this stage affect the entire span of the cycle. Presentations such as Better Data, Better Decisions, Better Results by De La Rue, Counterfeit and Theft Deterrence: A Focus on the Challenges, Implications and Solutions for Automated Cash Management Systems by SICPA and How to Control Fitness and Authentication of Cash in Circulation by Innovia Systems gave all delegates a grounding in the production of banknotes.

The leading industry suppliers that sponsored the event were on form with both interesting and innovative breakout sessions that both educated and inspired the delegates. Efficient Management of Retail Cash, The Branch is Dead….Long Live the Branch! and The People-less Cash Centre – Including Advancements from Japan were all topics introduced by the Platinum Sponsor, Glory Global Solutions. Other intriguing breakout sessions included Wearable Computing (Google Glass) and the Applications for Cash Processing by NamSys, What are Currency Processing Manufacturers Missing? by Toshiba and The Automated Cash Room – Prepping, Processing and Packaging by Giesecke & Devrient. The Sponsor Group comprised of Glory Global Solutions, De La Rue, Giesecke & Devrient, IMX Software, Loomis, Morphis, NELMAR Security Packaging Systems, Toshiba, Transtrack International, Ampac, ARCA, CDM USA, ControlTek, Fiserv, Innovia Systems, NamSys Inc., NCR, PlusOneMinusOne, Shields Security Bags, Witz Co. TecnoDev, CTM, SecuRame, Oberthur Cash Protection and Spinnaker.

At the close of the seminar, it was announced that the next location would be Fort Worth, Texas on December 7 – 10, 2015! Make sure to add this to your calendar so you can join your colleagues and peers to discuss the latest developments and initiatives within the Americas region with all stakeholders of the cash cycle. Trish Halligan, Managing Director of North America & the Caribbean states: “This year’s seminar was widely regarded as one of our best. For this we have to thank all the distinguished speakers, workshop leaders, and sponsor companies who did an outstanding job in providing valuable content and an engaging environment, both in the sessions and the exhibition. We also thank the delegates for actively participating during open discussion times.

For more information, please visit the website: www.americas.iccos.com.

Photos from The Cash Cycle Seminar – ICCOS Miami 2014