Latest News

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

2 min read

New Facility Doubles BEP Budget for 2022

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) has submitted its fiscal year 2022 budget request to Congress. The main component of the $1.9 billion requested funds is for special projects. Chief among them is $897 million for the Replacement Production Facility in Beltsville, Maryland.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

6 min read

In Other News…

The National Bank of Romania has issued a new 20 lei banknote. It is intended to fill the gap between the 10 and 50 lei notes, and to honour a woman for the first time on a circulating note – Ecaterina Teodoroiu, a heroine of World War I.

News

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

4 min read

News in Brief

The value of cash in circulation (CIC) in Uganda grew by 5.6% in 2020/21 to 6.03 trillion Ugandan shillings. Of this, banknotes grew by 6% to 5.83 trillion shillings, and coins by 2.65% to 193 billion shillings.

News

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

2 min read

G+D Wins CBDC Award, Takes on Banknote Collection

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) as one of the three winners of its Global CBDC Challenge, concluding the first phase of MAS’ study to explore possible retail CBDC solutions.

Banknotes Digital Currency

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

2 min read

Inovinks’ New IR Pigments – More than a Mirage

Infrared (IR) is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that lies immediately beyond red light and is therefore invisible to the naked eye. Because of this, IR inks are widely used in the banknote industry to create covert features that are both highly secure and machine readable, particularly by high speed systems.

Technology

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

3 min read

How CCL Secure and Innovia Films Create Bank Grade Polymer

CCL Secure’s GUARDIAN™ substrate was the catalyst for the development of the market for polymer banknotes over the past three decades, and it remains a key driver for its continuing growth.

Substrates, Features

John Winchcombe

1 Dec. 2021

2 min read

DNB Study Lays Out the Future of Cash in the Netherlands

The Dutch National Bank (DNB) spoke at the recent European Cash Cycle seminar (ICCOS) about the McKinsey study commissioned to consider the cash infrastructure that the Netherlands will need for the next 10 years.

Studies, Reports

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

10 min read

Future of Banknote Distribution in Australia

There is no longer any doubt that cash as a means of payment is declining – not just in relative but, increasingly, in absolute terms. The recent high demand for banknotes as a store of value only masks the reduction in their use for transactions.

Banknotes Studies, Reports

Alan Newman

1 Dec. 2021

4 min read

Eye-Catching, Distinctive and Secure

At the latest count a third of all banknotes contain a diffractive feature, in the form of a patch, stripe or thread, 327 to be precise. According to Frank van der Horst of the DNB in his presentation at the recently-concluded Holography Conference, the feature is the second best in public recognition terms after watermarks – which makes one wonder why the other two thirds of banknotes don’t use one!

Banknotes Substrates, Features

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

3 min read

Central Bank of Nigeria Reports on Cash for 2020

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made progress in 2020 with introducing and updating new systems to help with its cash management, according to its recently published annual report on cash operations.

Central Banks Studies, Reports

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

2 min read

A Strong 1st Half and Good Outlook for De La Rue

Sales for De La Rue for the first half of 2021/22 increased by 0.9% to £179.2 million, compared with the first half of 2020/21, according to its recently published interim results. Adjusted operating profit increased by 13.4% to £17.4 million.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

1 min read

Two More New Wins for CPS

Hard on the heels of the announcement of a multi-million pound contract to supply Single Note Inspection Systems to India, Cash Processing Solutions (CPS) has announced two further major new contracts.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2021

2 min read

New 50 Pesos Completes Mexico’s G Series

The Bank of Mexico has issued a new 50 pesos, the sixth and final note in its new G series. The front of the new note shows the foundation of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire which, according to legend, was established by the Mexica tribe in the place where they found an eagle devouring a snake.

Banknotes

John Winchcombe

1 Dec. 2021

4 min read

The Role of Cash in a Digital World

The digital world has been with us for over 20 years, and it has brought significant benefits, usually related to convenience, choice and cost. Despite that, there are many examples of physical products that are recovering lost ground and increasing sales.

Free Technology Free

Astrid Mitchell

23 Nov. 2021

3 min read

International Awards for 3 New Banknote Holograms

Banknote holograms were winners in three of the five categories in the Excellence in Holography Awards 2021 organised by the industry trade body, the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA).

Banknotes Events

Astrid Mitchell

22 Nov. 2021

3 min read

Bank of Canada Survival Analysis of Banknote Circulation

The Bank of Canada (BOC) has a Currency Inventory Management Strategy (IMS) based on its high-speed sorters that capture the image of every banknote, including the serial number, along with the date the banknote was created, shipped from the central bank’s distribution sites and returned to them.

Banknotes Studies, Reports

Astrid Mitchell

22 Nov. 2021

4 min read

EMEA Cash Cycle Seminar (ICCOS) 2022 Heads to Istanbul

The EMEA Cash Cycle Seminar (ICCOS) was again held in a virtual format at the start of November. Despite this, the event attracted nearly 200 registrations based in around 40 countries and representing 77 different organisations.

Events

Astrid Mitchell

18 Nov. 2021

2 min read

Pakistan Proves Waste and Manure Combination as Answer to Banknote Destruction

As noted in the recently published special report ‘Cash: A Roadmap to Sustainability’, there is an environmental cost to the removal and disposal of banknote waste during production and at their end of life.

Sustainability

Astrid Mitchell

18 Nov. 2021

4 min read

K&B BNS Goes Digital with ValiCash™

Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions (K&B BNS) has launched an app that is described as bridging the gap between the physical and the digital. Known as ValiCash™, the app not only helps identify but actually authenticates high security documents as well by scanning the document and giving either a ‘Pass’ or a ‘Fail’ response almost instantaneously.

Technology

Astrid Mitchell

29 Oct. 2021

3 min read

A One-Time Boost for Cash Volumes in Australia

Australia is often touted as one of the countries moving the fastest to becoming a cashless society. Whilst longer-term projections and data on payment habits support that view, recent figures from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Royal Australian Mint (RAM) indicate the opposite over the last year, albeit the (hopefully) one-off consequence of COVID.

Studies, Reports