Latest News

Astrid Mitchell

29 Feb. 2024

3 min read

Intaglio Platemaking for the Future from Jura and OEBS

A cooperative project between Jura (the developer of security prepress systems including software and hardware solutions) and OeBS (the Austrian banknote printer) has worked to develop direct engraved steel (S-DLE) intaglio printing plates, thus eliminating the use of an environmentally dangerous process and materials.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

29 Feb. 2024

2 min read

Getting Ready for the Future

Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions (K&B BNS) has pre- launched its new production platform called ‘AKTINA’.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

29 Feb. 2024

5 min read

A Positive Picture for Cash Companies in 2023

Each February and March we cover the previous year’s results for the leading companies in cash management, most of whose financial years run from January to December. Between them these results provide a useful means of taking the pulse of our industry.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

29 Feb. 2024

2 min read

IMBISA Secures First Euro Orders

Europe’s newest printworks, Spain’s Imprenta de Billetes SA (IMBISA), has been awarded a contract to produce all €10 banknotes destined for the Eurozone in 2024 – 424.2 million in total. It will also produce a portion of the €5 notes required next year.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

29 Feb. 2024

5 min read

Sustainability – Essential to Banknote Design

Biobanknote has spent 12 years focusing on the protection of the environment, building expert knowledge about composting banknotes, and offers professional advisory services to central banks and producers helping them set banknote specification parameters, measurement methodologies, controls and evaluations so that the new banknotes can be more sustainable throughout the cash cycle.

Companies Sustainability

Astrid Mitchell

1 Feb. 2024

3 min read

SPMCIL Records Strong Growth

Under the new leadership of Vijay Ranjan Singh, who was appointed its Managing Director last year, SPMCIL recently released its 2022/23 Annual Report, registering a growth of 20.35% in revenue to Rs 49.18 billion.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 Feb. 2024

4 min read

CPBM Undergoes Transformation from Information Technology to Intelligence Technology

Currency News™ reported in November 2023 on the Guangzhou Banknote Printing Company and its ‘intelligent’ factory. Now China Banknote Ink Co is following on with an Integrated Operation Centre.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 Feb. 2024

3 min read

What Goes Round Comes Round in the Minting Industry

The start of 2024 has been marked by a series of acquisitions in the minting community.

Coins Companies

Astrid Mitchell

22 Dec. 2023

2 min read

The Phoenix Rises

As part of its centenary anniversary celebrations, Komori has produced a house note, The Phoenix 2023. This note celebrates and brings to life Komori’s concept of ‘Power to the Print – Technology that Empowers’.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

22 Dec. 2023

2 min read

Hueck Folien Moves Ahead with Optomove

Hueck Folien, a family owned company based in Baumgartenberg, Austria has been supplying security products – initially security threads, followed by holographic/diffractive stripes – to the banknote industry for 35 years.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

22 Dec. 2023

1 min read

Spectra Buys Cartor

Spectra Systems Corporation has agreed to buy security printer Cartor Holdings in a deal worth up to £10.5 million. It has described the move as a strategic acquisition to bolster its position in the polymer banknote substrate market.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

22 Dec. 2023

2 min read

CCL Secure: A Year of Innovation and Collaboration

Polymer appears to be something of a ‘thing’ in this issue. So, having heard from one established and one emerging polymer substrate manufacturer – De La Rue and Spectra Systems respectively – it seems only fair to hear from the second established manufacturer, CCL Secure, who has provided an end of year summary for GUARDIAN™.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

22 Dec. 2023

2 min read

De La Rue Boosted by Recovering Demand

De La Rue appears to be enjoying a rebound following multiple new contract wins and growing demand for banknotes.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

22 Dec. 2023

9 min read

Kando, Omotenashi and Kaizen – Three of the Core Principles of Komori As It Celebrates 100 Years

Currency News™ spoke to Mr Junya Shimada – Executive Operating Officer and Group General Manager – about the company’s foundations, its current focus, its philosophy and how it plans to leverage this to go forward in an ever-changing social and technological landscape.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2023

1 min read

Indian Papermaker Hits 100,000 Tonne Milestone

Bank Note Paper Mill India Ltd (BNPMIL) has recently celebrated its Foundation Day.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2023

2 min read

META Materials Plans Focus on Security

META Materials Inc, a developer of high performance functional materials and nanocomposites which acquired security feature specialist Nanotech Security Corp in 2021, has announced details of a restucturing plan that will see it focus on core business lines that are either generating revenues, or expected to do so in the near future.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2023

4 min read

Delivering Banknote Security Through Technology… Louisenthal´s Solution

Readers will recall in earlier editions that we addressed a number of significant highlights following G+D`s Currency Technology Symposium held in July. This is the final story, focusing on key elements of the day dedicated to Louisenthal, G+D’s substrate and feature subsidiary.

Companies Substrates, Features Technology

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2023

4 min read

Digital Intelligence in Banknote Printing

In this issue, we describe the industry’s newest banknote production facility – IMBISA in Spain. Another example of a new printworks that has also built innovation in from the start is Guangzhou Banknote Printing Co Ltd (GBPC), the seventh and newest of China Banknote Printing and Minting’s banknote factories.

Companies Technology

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2023

4 min read

Cash Crash in Australia?

As Currency News™ went to press, news came out that the cash management firms Armaguard, with a 90% share of the market, is seeking a cash injection to ensure it can operate its banknote distribution services profitably, just five months after it merged with rival Prosegur to create a near-monopoly that was supposed to do just that (see CN June 2023).

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

29 Nov. 2023

3 min read

Oberthur Demonstrates the Art of Animation with New Security Thread

As covered in last month’s Currency News, in the Spring of 2023 Oberthur Fiduciaire took out a majority stake in Rolling Optics, which was founded in 2005 with solid technical background from research at the Ångström Laboratory at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Companies