Latest News

Astrid Mitchell

31 Oct. 2025

8 min read

Note and Coin News

Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB) has provided more details of its new banknote series in denominations of BND1, BND5, BND10, BND100 and BND500, which are scheduled to enter circulation in the first half of 2026.

Banknotes Coins

Astrid Mitchell

1 Oct. 2025

3 min read

Turning Cash into Community Support

The International Day of Charity, which occurs annually on 5 September, recognises the role of charity in helping others.

Banknotes Coins

Astrid Mitchell

1 Oct. 2025

4 min read

(House) Banknotes of the Month – Part 2

In the August issue of Currency News we celebrated a number of houses notes – from Bundesdruckerei, PWPW, China Banknote Printing and Minting, and Casa da Moeda do Brasil – showcasing some of the best design and technology in today’s banknote features and print.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

1 Oct. 2025

1 min read

Note and Coin News

The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has launched new 50 and 100 baht (THB) banknotes on polymer, which will go into circulation in November. The launch builds on the success of the THB 20 note, which was issued in 2022, and which studies by the BOT have shown is four times more durable than its paper counterpart. The projected savings as a result over the eight years that the notes are expected to last are 350 million banknotes per year, reducing production, transport and resource costs.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

1 Oct. 2025

2 min read

Money Matters: Banknotes Around the World

Of the c. 1,000 circulating banknotes in the world from 166 issuing authorities, 35 denominations from eight issuers have a vertical (portrait) orientation on both the front and the reverse, 14 denominations from two issuers on the front only, and 54 denominations from 10 issuers on the reverse only.

Banknotes

Dr Ernesto González Candela

3 Sept. 2025

7 min read

PerceptNote® - the New Technology to Predict Banknotes and Security Features Perception

PerceptNote® is the brainchild of two experts working in the area of banknote analysis, Jane Raymond from Secure Perception Research Ltd and Ernesto González Candela from UnderCurrency SA de CV. Each recognised the value of perception analysis for banknote design but also saw the problems and challenges of conducting perception testing with physical samples. In this article, they explain their solution.

Banknotes Free Free

Astrid Mitchell

28 Aug. 2025

2 min read

Bolivia’s Bicentennial Commemorative Banknote

Amidst the gradual introduction of a new banknote series, Banco Central de Bolivia (BCB) has also launched a new bicentennial commemorative banknote, which was unveiled earlier this month at a special event attended by the country’s President at the Casa de Libertad in Sucre, a heritage museum and former church where the country signed its declaration of independence in 1825.

Banknotes Coins

Astrid Mitchell

28 Aug. 2025

7 min read

(House) Banknotes of the Month

In this version of Banknote of the Month, we are focusing on some of the latest and best house notes, specifically those which have been released at the Currency Conference in May or the High Security Printing (HSP) Latin America conference in June.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

28 Aug. 2025

2 min read

Swiss Citizens Have Their Say on New Banknotes

In last month’s Currency News™ we mused on whether inviting the public to provide input into new currency designs was a good or a bad thing. It has undoubted benefits, but also carries risks.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

24 July 2025

2 min read

Design Contest is Next Step for New Euro Banknotes

The European Central Bank (ECB) has launched a public contest for the design of future euro banknotes – the next step in the euro banknote redesign process which will culminate in a decision in 2026.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

24 July 2025

2 min read

Meet the Next Generation of the Namibia Dollar

The Bank of Namibia has officially launched its upgraded Namibia dollar (N$) banknote series alongside a fully redesigned new Namibian coinage series, under the theme ‘Our Currency, Our Heritage, Our Pride – Meet the Next Generation of the Namibia Dollar’.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2025

3 min read

Note and Coin News

The Bank of Mauritius has issued a new Rs 100 banknote – the penultimate denomination in the series to switch to polymer.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2025

4 min read

Best in Banknotes Recognised in HSP Latin America Awards

The Regional Banknote and ID Document of the Year Awards form part of the industry’s High Security Printing (HSP) Latin America conference. The awards at this year’s event were presented at a special ceremony during the conference dinner on top of the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2025

1 min read

New Themes Sought for Bank of England Notes

The Bank of England has announced a public consultation into the redesign of its banknotes – the first in more than 50 years.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

27 May 2025

5 min read

New Currency Focuses on the World Under the Seas

As described in last month’s Currency News™, the new Caribbean guilder has now been issued. It’s been a long time coming, but well worth the wait.

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Antti Heinonen

27 May 2025

9 min read

Does the Number of Banknotes in Circulation Already Exceed 900 Billion?

If every central bank and monetary authority were to consistently publish the number of banknotes in circulation, this article wouldn’t be necessary. However, that isn’t the case, and the question is raised every now then in discussions. Various estimates, some around 550 billion, are cited in industry reports and presentations, which prompted me to dig deeper as the numbers seemed low. This article highlights some of the challenges involved when considering the question and provides an estimate for further discussion.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

27 May 2025

3 min read

Note and Coin News

The National Bank of Kazakhstan has issued a commemorative 1,000 tenge note celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and the end of World War II in Europe.

Banknotes Coins

Astrid Mitchell

18 May 2025

4 min read

From Money Trees to Honey Bees – Cash that Buzzes

The United Nations and its agencies hold international observance days (and in some cases weeks or even years) to promote global issues . There are 218 overall – many on familiar topics such as women, family, oceans, the environment. But there are some unexpected ones too - toilets, potatoes, tea, tuna, bicycles, seagrass.

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Astrid Mitchell

1 May 2025

2 min read

New Currency for Curaçao and Sint Maarten

A country that has issued not just a new family of banknotes and coins, but a whole new currency, is Curaçao and Sint Maarten, where the Caribbean guilder (Gg) went into circulation on 31 March, replacing the Netherlands Antilles guilder.

Banknotes Coins

Astrid Mitchell

1 May 2025

3 min read

Kazakhstan Continues Saka-Style Banknote Roll-Out

On 25 December 2024, the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) introduced a new design for the 2,000 tenge banknote. On March 28, 2025, it was the turn of the 1,000 tenge.

Banknotes Coins