Headlines of 2021 - That Was the Year That Was…

January

ECB reports a record low number of counterfeits for 2020; De La Rue announces expansion of production for its SAFEGUARD® polymer; Bank of England announces second round of substrate call-offs; NCRs buys Cardtronics; Gietz acquires majority stake in machine builder MABEG; Banknote and Currency Conferences to combine into one ‘super-event’; end of an era as National Bank of Belgium sells off site of printworks; France announces closure of third of cash centres; US Mint moves ahead with request to change coin composition.

February

UK cash industry joins forces to meet climate targets; SICPA Australia finds a new home with NPA; seaweed extract provides natural anti-contaminant for banknotes; 2020 proves a good year for polymer; Shrap offers a digital alternative to coins; Banque de France invests in modernisation of paper mill and printworks; Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering provides a healthy indoor environment for banks and banknote processing; COVID proves tough going for leading cash management companies; launch of ECO put back – again; G4S auction falls apart as Garda pulls out.

March

ECB presents work on improving the environmental sustainability of euro banknotes; Goznak moves into digital payments; Noteworthy launches as a provider of hybrid banknote and cryptocurrency; Russia unveils new plans for banknotes and cash circulation; Prosegur takes over services from cash subsidiary; KOMSCO implements emergency measures following losses; shareholders approve G4S acquisition by Universal Allied; Orell Füssli results for 2020 show resilience, but pandemic takes toll at Koenig & Bauer; Sweden boosts cash handling capacity; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) merges cash and payments departments.

April

Portals announces acquisition of Fedrigoni’s security business; Bank of England reduces cash footprint; G+D reports strong 2020 despite the pandemic, partners with Doconomy to develop sustainable payments and unveils progress on UN Global Compact; Schuler sells 1,000th high speed minting press; Santander and Prosegur Cash team up for in store digital cash solutions; Brinks buys ATM services provider PAI; Spectra Systems secures US patent for banknote disinfection system; sales and profits fall at Goznak.

May

Shortages of US circulating coins persist as increased production fails to match demand; Louisenthal launches RollingStar® i+; Loomis expands in Switzerland; Sweden’s banknote printing line auctioned off; large-scale expansion for KRYPTEN’s holographic production line; turnaround plan for De La Rue pays off; return to profit on cards for Finnish mint; bullion sales boom for Royal Canadian Mint, but circulating coins decline; counterfeiters turn their attention to polymer; CCL Secure targets note/coin boundary with launch of SPARTAN™; HUMANIA celebrates first banknote design submissions.

June

Survey shows that support for euro remains high, but not for low value coins; Goznak buys Bank Innovation Systems; contactless and self-service solutions offset poorer global sales for Glory; Crane invests in water treatment at Malta facility; BEP’s new banknote production facility moves a step closer; a busy year for the Reserve Bank of India as it rolls out changes to currency management; UK banknote circulation increases, counterfeits fall; GSI launches new ‘traffic light’ security ink; G+D highlights lessons learned before, during and ‘after’ the pandemic.

July

BEP issues RFP for next generation currency features; Portals and Banque de France sign licencing agreement for EverFit®; completion of the Banque de France’s new printworks put back to 2026; yet another redenomination for Venezuela; Croatia’s euro coin designs spark protest in neighbouring Serbia; bumper year for Royal Mint despite COVID and fall in circulation coins; innovation continues to flow for SPARK®; 100 years and counting for South African Reserve Bank; Spectra’s AERIS® disinfection system proven to eliminate COVID in one hour.

August

Pakistan latest country to trial polymer banknotes; ECB reports on cash and the impact of COVID; CCL Secure makes multi-million pound investment in new features and SPARTAN; functional materials and nanocomposite specialist META Materials to acquire Nanotech Security Corp; coin shortages hit Chile; Glory continues investments in fintech companies; KURZ goes green with photovoltaic park for energy needs; ZEISER acquires track and trace technology specialist Inspectron; KRYPTEN launches 3D-GRAM® Contrust photopolymer feature.

September

De La Rue to further upgrade production in Malta; CPS wins multi-million pound contract for single note inspection systems in India; CashEssentials launches the CashTech Forum; Note Printing Australia and PARVIS commission new Manufacturing Execution System; Slovakia could be next to drop low denomination euro coins; UK pennies back in production; eurozone members to rise to 21 with Croatia and Bulgaria set to join in 2023 and 2024 respectively; pandemic hits profits at FNMT; Bank al-Maghrib invests in green technology; BSP and Royal Canadian Mint winners in IACA awards for best pandemic initiatives.

October

Royal Mint to recycle e-waste for precious metal recovery; ‘Cash: a Roadmap to Sustainability’ report published, covering green initiatives in the cash cycle; Philippines to run a polymer trial in 2022; BnEI welcomes first member from Latin America; Casa de Moneda Argentina’s transformation underway; one-time boost for cash volumes in Australia; Orell Füssli and AUGENTIC partner for CBDC; Royal Dutch Mint issues first not-for-profit coin for charity.

November

DNB study lays out future for cash in the Netherlands; CPS secures new contracts with DNB and Vaultex; new printworks doubles BEP budget for 2022; Pakistan’s answer to recycling of waste – cow manure; Noteworthy launches first bitcoin banknote; G+D wins another CBDC award and takes on world-class banknote collection; consultation launched on future of banknote distribution in Australia; Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions goes digital with ValiCash app for banknote authentication; Inovink launches new range of IR pigments; Nigeria reports on cash for 2020; banknote features scoop main holography awards; Glory continues to drive cash management solutions.

December

ECB to redesign euro banknotes for first time since their launch; more details of design and production of BSP’s trial polymer 1,000 piso; Banque de France and Bank of Israel outline plans for less cash infrastructure; Bank of Canada describes method for banknote survival analysis; Japan’s banknote paradox; Cape Verde invests in banknote destruction system from Hunkeler; KURZ digitises the design and approval process for KINEGRAMS®; winners of Regional HSP Banknote of the Year awards announced.