Latest News

Astrid Mitchell

29 Oct. 2021

3 min read

Philippines the Latest Country to Trial Polymer

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has confirmed that it will trial a run of ‘a few hundred million pieces’ of the 1,000 piso on polymer during the first half of 2022.

Coins Substrates, Features

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

2 min read

Strong Currency Focus at Annual Holography Conference

The Holography Conference Online, the annual event for the worldwide holographic community, takes place 17-18 November, and this year currency-related presentations are strong on the agenda.

Events

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

10 min read

Cash Processing Solutions – a Well-Kept Secret

Cash Processing Solutions (CPS), the clue to whose activities is in its name, describes itself as one of the industry’s ‘best kept secrets’. Currency News spoke to Barrie Foley, to find out more about the company’s portfolio, its plans for growth, and where it sees itself and the cash industry going in the next few years.

Interviews

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

2 min read

Beyond Traditions – Future in Security Printing

Jura held a number of workshops on 5-6 October in Budapest as part of the newly-launched Jura Academy. This was one of the first physical events where customers and suppliers travelled to come together for the first time in the last 18 months or so, and representatives were in attendance from Austria, Czech Republic, France, Lithuania, Germany, Netherlands, Slovenia, Oman, Yemen, UAE, Saudi Arabia, the UK and, of course, Hungary itself.

Events

Four Nations Group

28 Oct. 2021

13 min read

Four Nations Cognitive Research – An International Collaboration to Produce Actionable Banknote Design Guidelines

The Four Nations group was founded in 1978 and consists of five central bank members – the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Bank of Canada, Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank of England and Banco de México.

Central Banks Studies, Reports

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

3 min read

In Other News…

The Bank of Ghana has announced that 1 and 2 cedi banknotes are to be phased out in favour of coins. A bimetallic 1 cedi coin has been in circulation since 2007 and a 10-sided bimetallic 2 cedi coin was introduced in 2019. According to the Bank, the phase-out is due to heavy usage of the notes and the high costs of replacement compared with coins.

News

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

5 min read

News in Brief

META Materials Inc, a developer of high-performance functional materials and nanocomposites, has announced the completion of the acquisition of Nanotech Security Corp, which produces secure nano-optic security features for banknotes and other secure documents, in a deal valued at c. C$91 million. Nanotech has now been delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange.

News

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

1 min read

Nepal Continues Roll-Out of New Banknote Series

Nepal Rastra Bank began issuing a new series in 2020, starting with 1,000, 100 and 50 rupees. This year, despite the COVID restrictions, it has continued the programme with the issue of new 20, 10 and 5 rupee notes. The new 500 rupees is expected to follow in 2022.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

4 min read

Hot Air, Hard Data

COP 26 is taking place next week in the UK. The leaders of the world will be in attendance (most of them at least – the Russian and Chinese presidents aren’t turning up) along with around 30,000 others – from negotiators and journalists to lobbyists, NGOs, businesses and even protesters – from 200 or so countries.

Comment Free Sustainability Free

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

2 min read

Royal Mint to Recycle Precious Metals from Electronics Waste

Experts believe that as much as 7% of the world’s gold may be contained within the circuit boards of e-waste, most of which ends up in landfill or is incinerated.

Coins Sustainability

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

2 min read

Smiley’s People – RDM Issues 1st Not for Profit Coin for Charity

The Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) is the latest mint to create a not-for-profit coin for charitable purposes, designing an exclusive coin in collaboration with the Smiley Movement. For every coin sold, it will donate a food box to the Foodbank Amsterdam at Christmas.

Coins

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

3 min read

People in The News

Øystein Olsen, Governor of Norges Bank, has announced he will retire next February, a year before his second term is due to end. The Central Bank of Chile has appointed Beltrán de Ramón to the role of General Manager, responsible for the day-to-day operations. He replaces Alejandro Zurbuchen Silva, who has retired.

News

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

2 min read

WBS Announces Agenda

The World Banknote Summit (WBS) has announced the programme which, due to COVID, will be held online on 22-24 November. According to the organisers, the focus of WBS is not on touching all bases or providing a general overview, but about getting to the heart of the issues that are of paramount importance to the payments industry.

Events

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

1 min read

Virtual EMEA Cash Cycle Seminar (ICCOS)

With COVID still disrupting travel plans, the 11th EMEA Cash Cycle Seminar (ICCOS) is being held virtually on 2-3 November. Over 200 attendees representing central banks, commercial banks, CIT and suppliers from more than 40 countries have registered for the two half days of thought leading presentations in an agenda dominated by cash users.

Events

John Winchcombe

28 Oct. 2021

5 min read

‘Cash: a Roadmap to Sustainability’

With the UN Climate Change conference, COP 26, taking place through early November, we thought it would be appropriate to review the environmental work of stakeholders in the cash industry over the last few years.

Sustainability

Astrid Mitchell

28 Oct. 2021

2 min read

Optical & Digital Document Security Conference Programme

Registration is now open for the new Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) conference, which will be in Vienna, Austria, 17-19 January 2022, with the programme available to view online at opticaldigitalsecurity.com.

Events

Tod Niedeck

17 Oct. 2021

5 min read

Sustainability: A Hallmark of Cash

An early memory, when beginning my career at Crane Currency, was noticing long rows of steaming compost in the fields adjacent to the company’s banknote paper mills. I learned that much of this organic material was made up of solids from the papermaking process – cotton and flax ‘fines’ that, when mixed with other field and yard waste, produced a rich and valuable compost.

Comment Sustainability

Astrid Mitchell

30 Sept. 2021

2 min read

The CashTech Forum – Where Cash and Digital Technology Meet

CashEssentials – the think tank specialising in payments and monetary systems – has launched the CashTech Forum to promote innovation and technology, thereby ensuring a sustainable and future-proof cash ecosystem.

Technology

Astrid Mitchell

29 Sept. 2021

4 min read

Winners of IACA Awards for Pandemic Response Initiatives

The International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) held its Excellence in Currency awards ceremony on 23 September, at which it presented the eight nominations and announced the winners of the ‘Best Currency Initiative Implemented in Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic’.

COVID-19

Astrid Mitchell

29 Sept. 2021

2 min read

Goznak Sales and Profit Fall in 2020, but Exports Up

Goznak is a joint stock company in which the sole shareholder is the Russian government. It competes in both Russian and global markets for security products, with a portfolio ranging from banknotes and banknote paper, circulating and commemorative coins, identity documents, excise and postage stamps to, more recently, digital technologies.

Companies