Security is Top Priority at MAP 2025

The Mint and Print (MAP) conference 2025, held from 11 to 13 November in Istanbul, reiterated the message: cash remains a vital pillar of monetary stability and national sovereignty, even as payment methods become increasingly digital.

Led by Managing Director Mazen Hamdan of International Mint and Print and chaired by Alejandro Alegre, former General Director of Currency Issuance at Banco de México, this seventh edition drew around 250 delegates from more than 100 organisations, including central banks, printing and minting institutions, and suppliers from the global currency value chain.

In his welcome address, Dr Mehmet Sercan Arslan of the Central Bank of Türkiye set the tone by describing cash as a ‘manifestation of trust’ and a ‘symbol of sovereignty’. He highlighted Türkiye’s significant investments in printing, packaging, and inspection systems, emphasising that physical cash and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) will coexist as complementary forms of central bank money.

Over three days, ten sessions explored the spectrum of currency design, production, technology and policy. Together, these discussions illustrated how modern currency systems integrate science, art, policy and data to support secure, resilient and trusted cash cycles.