In the past 12 months, the volume of banknotes produced in the Asian region has risen by just 2 per cent compared with the average annual growth rate of around 5 per cent since the start of this decade.
﻿[2] Increasing growth in the value of production at the same time that growth in production volumes is slowing means, of course, that banknote prices are rising. Put differently, central banks, as wholesalers in the banknote market, are paying proportionately higher prices for finished banknotes than they have in previous years.