Latest News

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

2 min read

Loomis Expands into Peru with Acquisition of Hermes

The Swedish-based international provider of cash management solutions, Loomis AB, is making good on its strategy to expand in Latin America with its most significant acquisition to date, launching a Tender Offer Agreement (TOA) to acquire the Peruvian cash management firm Hermes Transportes Blindados SA. The enterprise value of approximately SEK 4 billion (US$380 million) on cash and debt free basis represents a 6.6x adjusted EBITDA multiple based on Hermes’ 2025 financial year.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

5 min read

News In Brief

In what could be termed a new tactic for Russia in its war against Ukraine, it dropped fake banknotes with propaganda QR codes into some of Ukraine’s border regions ahead of its annual 9 May Victory Day celebrations.

News

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

3 min read

A New Chapter in Currency Printing as De La Rue Opens Malta Supersite

After five years and an investment of c. €60 million, De La Rue’s new factory in Malta has been officially opened in the presence of the country’s Prime Minister, Robert Abela, and Silvio Schembri, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects. Described as a ‘supersite’, it will – says De La Rue – support the creation of world class, functionally excellent banknotes for the next 50 years and beyond.

Companies

Kerre Corbin

27 May 2026

2 min read

Naples Counterfeit Ring Smashed in Crypto-Telegram Sting

Italy’s Carabinieri have dismantled a major transnational criminal network that used Telegram and Bitcoin to distribute counterfeit euros across Europe. The crackdown, code-named ‘Operation Domino’, culminated in the Carabinieri Anti-Counterfeiting Command Cryptocurrency Section executing court orders against 12 suspects.

Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

27 May 2026

3 min read

A New Chapter in Currency Printing as De La Rue Opens Malta Supersite

After five years and an investment of c. €60 million, De La Rue’s new factory in Malta has been officially opened in the presence of the country’s Prime Minister, Robert Abela; and Silvio Schembri, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects. Described as a ‘supersite’, it will – says De La Rue – support the creation of world class, functionally excellent banknotes for the next 50 years and beyond.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

20 May 2026

12 min read

Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering – Where Banknote Destruction Meets Sustainability

One of the main most visual environmental impacts of banknotes is not in their production but their destruction – with incineration and landfill still being all-too-frequent methods of removal. In last month’s Currency News™, we reported on the results of the 2025 Banknote Recycling Study, the latest biennial survey from Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering (Kusters), which explored how central banks are handling the disposal of unfit notes in particular, and progress made (or not) since the previous survey of 2023.

Interviews

Astrid Mitchell

20 May 2026

2 min read

Anima Colour — Inspired by Gemstones, Engineered for Security

Oberthur Fiduciaire unveiled two major additions to its Anima™ micro-optics platform – Anima™ Sign and Anima™ Colour – at the recent Global Currency Forum. Both innovations highlighted advances in machine readability and colour versatility, two increasingly important elements in next-generation banknote security, in addition to the integration of all the effects already available in Anima™.

Substrates, Features

Astrid Mitchell

18 May 2026

3 min read

BEP’s Long Term Transformation – New Investment, But New Facility on Hold

In one of the keynote speeches at the Banknote Conference in Washington DC, the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) presented its long-term transformation and modernisation strategy. This is in the context of a new series of banknotes, the first of which will be issued later the year, the postponement of a proposed new production site to replace that in the centre of the capital, and investments that have already seen a 33% reduction in some production costs.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

13 May 2026

3 min read

Loomis Expands into Peru with Acquisition of Hermes

The Swedish-based international provider of cash management solutions, Loomis AB, is making good on its strategy to expand in Latin America with its most significant acquisition to date, launching a Tender Offer Agreement (TOA) to acquire the Peruvian cash management firm Hermes Transportes Blindados SA. The enterprise value of approximately SEK 4 billion (US$380 million) on cash and debt free basis represents a 6.6x adjusted EBITDA multiple based on Hermes’ 2025 financial year.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

13 May 2026

2 min read

De La Rue Ignites Innovation with OPTILIGHT™

At the recent Global Currency Forum in Antalya, Türkiye, De La Rue introduced OPTILIGHT™, a next-generation optical security platform for banknotes. OPTILIGHT™ combines nano-science, advanced optical engineering, and proprietary algorithms to deliver intuitive visual effects for public authentication.

Banknotes Features

Astrid Mitchell

10 May 2026

2 min read

ANDRITZ Schuler Consolidates Production

ANDRITZ Schuler – the leading manufacturer of equipment for coin and medal production – has announced that, due to persistently challenging economic conditions, it is closing production at the site of its subsidiary ANDRITZ Gräbener in Netphen; Germany. In future, these products will be manufactured together with ANDRITZ Schuler’s systems at its headquarters in Göppingen, Germany.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

30 April 2026

2 min read

IACA Announces Two Excellence in Currency Award Winners

The International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) has announced the winners of two of the five award categories in their 2026 Excellence in Currency Awards. The winners were announced during the awards presentation at the recent Global Currency Forum in Antalya.

Events

Astrid Mitchell

27 April 2026

10 min read

Currency in a Conflict Zone – How Sudan is Maintaining Production, Circulation and Confidence

It was three years ago this month that war broke out in Sudan. As has been previously, and frequently, reported in Currency News™, cash is the first and last resort in war-torn countries, as well as those affected by natural disasters. It is a matter of priority therefore, for the supply and distribution of currency to be maintained even in the most challenging of circumstances.

Interviews

Astrid Mitchell

27 April 2026

5 min read

Recycling Makes Progress, Sustainability Has a Way to Go

Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering has published its 2025 Banknote Recycling Study. Kusters is one of the banknote industry’s leading manufacturers of high security off-line destruction and shred handling equipment for banknotes and coins; the paper explores how central banks are handling the disposal of unfit notes in particular, and also some of their general sustainability activities, based on an extensive market survey.

Sustainability

Astrid Mitchell

27 April 2026

2 min read

One Month to Go Until HSP Latin America 2026

There is just over a month remaining until the next iteration of the High Security Printing (HSP) conferences, with HSP Latin America scheduled to take place 1-3 June in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Events

Kerre Corbin

27 April 2026

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

Halton Regional Police Service, located in the province of Ontario, say they have dismantled an online operation that was selling counterfeit cash across Canada, leading to several arrests and nearly two dozen criminal charges.

Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

27 April 2026

2 min read

ATMIA and ePay Resources Join Forces

ATMIA (the ATM Industry Association) has concluded a merger with ePayResources, a membership-based organisation for financial institutions and businesses focused on payments and a provider of payments education and compliance expertise in the US.

News

Astrid Mitchell

27 April 2026

2 min read

BnEI Launches Enhanced Audit Standard

The Banknote Ethics Initiative (BnEI) has launched the BnEI 2.0 Audit Standard, which it terms a significant advancement in the organisation’s commitment to promoting ethical practices and compliance across the global banknote industry. All BnEI members will now be audited and accredited under the newly developed BnEI 2.0 framework.

News

Astrid Mitchell

27 April 2026

3 min read

TwinColors? Patches: Two Layers of Micromirrors for More Sophisticated Security

As noted in last month’s Currency News, in the announcement of its record results for last year, Giesecke+Devrient reference TwinColors® as one of its latest currency innovations. So, what is it?

Substrates, Features

Dr John Mushayavanhu

27 April 2026

3 min read

The New BiG5ZiG Banknote Series

Following the introduction of the ZiG in April 2024 and public concerns on the quality of the then family of ZiG notes in circulation, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) undertook an evaluation to ensure that ZiG banknotes and coins remain relevant and supportive of economic activity.

Banknotes