Cash-related activities will no longer be carried out at the National Bank's headquarters in the centre
of Brussels but rather at a purpose-built complex in Zellik, on the outskirts of the capital. The new
premises meet state-of-the-art security standards and allow cash logistics activities to be streamlined
and largely automated.
The construction of a new cash centre was necessary given that the current facilities at the Bank's headquarters in Brussels, which date back to the 1960s, were outdated and difficult to modernise. Consequently, cash processing was still very labour-intensive. At the new premises in Zellik, staffing needs have been reduced by a third, for example.
Improved transport of cash
Moving cash activities from the busy city centre to the outskirts of the capital near the motorway will also facilitate the transport of cash.
The foundation stone for the new cash centre was laid in May 2022. Three years later, the building is now ready for use. Substantial efforts were made to ensure that the construction is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Thanks to solar panels, a geothermal heating and cooling system and a green zone, the centre is practically carbon neutral.
A central bank's cash centre handles the logistics for the circulation of cash within the country. Here, banknotes and coins are put into or withdrawn from circulation, and cash is sorted, checked, stored or destroyed. It is the central place from which cash transporters pick up cash for delivery to financial institutions and ATMs. Over the course of its lifetime, a banknote not only changes hands frequently but also returns regularly to the central bank's cash centre for quality checks and testing. Around 600 million banknotes pass through the National Bank each year. In addition, the Bank's cash centre sorts and distributes euro coins on behalf of the Belgian Treasury.