Banknote Industry Strives to Thrive

Nestling in the heart of the Balkans, Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, was the picturesque setting for the latest edition of the High Security Printing™ (HSP) conference series (4-6 March). The sell-out event, which had to close its doors to new registrations three weeks in advance, brought delegates up to speed about what is happening to banknotes in the region and around the world.

Three themes stood out: the future of cash, sustainability and innovation. While the first of these was covered in a special ‘Future of Cash conference’ workshop, sustainability and innovation were threads that ran across almost every presentation and discussion. The industry is striving to do better and to make cash the best that it can be.

Is there a future for cash?

It started with the Future of Cash conference running a half day workshop which covered cash usage data and thinking about how and why it is changing, whether cash is a public good and/or a basic right and discussion groups on different aspects of what is happening to cash.