Storyline:
The Houthi-controlled Central Bank of Yemen, headquartered in the capital of Sanaa, unveiled its plan to circulate a new 100-riyal coin starting Sunday, raising concerns of deepened economic fracturing.

The statement described the Houthi coin launch as "a dangerous and unlawful escalatory act" that fails to consider citizen interests. It denounced the new currency as "counterfeit" since it was issued "by an illegal entity."

On Tuesday, the government's central bank gave all banks operating in the country a 60-day deadline to move their headquarters from the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa to the country's southern port city of Aden.

The Houthis have blamed the Aden-based central bank for driving up inflation by printing new money. Notes issued by the bank are banned in Houthi-controlled regions.

War-time operational issues have prevented the Sanaa central bank from printing new money, further fueling a liquidity crisis.

Large quantities of outdated damaged paper notes held by the bank are being rejected as payment, much to the dismay of consumers and traders.

There are reports the central bank in Sanaa also aims to replace other damaged denominations of paper currency with new ones of the same value.

Shotlist:
1. Building of Central Bank of Yemen in Sanaa, Yemen - March 30, 2024;
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hashim Ismail, Governor, Central Bank of Yemen(starting with shot 1):
"Today, we announce the release of a new coin with a value of 100 Yemeni riyals, which will start circulating as of Sunday, March 31."
3. Press conference in progress;
4. Screen showing demonstration animation of newly released coin;
5. Press conference in progress;
6. Various of logo, sign of Central Bank of Yemen on wall;
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Rashid Al Haddad, economic analyst (starting with shot 6/ending with shot 8):
"The main impact of relocating the central bank to Aden is the creation of a cash split between Sanaa and the southern and eastern provinces, leading to a rise in currency exchange rates."
8. Traffic in alley in Sanaa, Yemen - Feb 7, 2024;
9. Various of currency exchange outlets;
10. Various of staff member counting banknotes;
11. Various of building of Central Bank of Yemen in Sanaa, Yemen - March 30, 2024;
12. Various of vendors counting damaged banknotes in grocery store;
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammed Al Sharabi, local resident (starting with shot 12):
"Since the Central Bank moved from Sanaa to Aden in 2016, we have been suffering greatly. Firstly, there's the halt in government salaries, and secondly, the worn-out currency is not accepted by shop owners, bus owners, or even clothing sellers.";
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Moatasem Abdul Salam, local resident:
"Regarding transfers, when our families and relatives in Aden want to send money to Sanaa, the transfer commission rate is as much as 150 percent of the transferred amount. This creates significant hardship."
15. Various of vendors counting, organizing damaged banknotes;
16. Traffic;
17. Various of city view, buildings, traffic in Yemen - Recent.

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