According to a Gulf News article dated 16 December 2009, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders concluded their annual two-day summit with an agreement to form a monetary union, paving the way for a single currency for Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia; Oman and the United Arab Emirates opted out.Read More…

According to an article on Haaretz.com, over the next two years the Bank of Israel will issue new banknotes featuring portraits of Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl and three former prime ministers: David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin, and Yitzhak Rabin. The bank has decided against issuing a proposed NIS 500 (US$132) denomination.Read More…