False banknotes are on the rise in Italy. According to a Banca d Italia report to parliament the circulation of fake notes in Italy increased 26 per cent in 2005 compared with 2004, while in other euro-currency countries there was a drop of four per cent in the same period. However, the report claims that the police are playing an increasingly incisive role in counteracting this trend thanks to a greater emphasis on special training in this sector.

At the same time the report also points out that banking system is becoming more profitable and less exposed to risk and that the International Monetary Fund and other international organisations have described the Italian banking system as solid.