Latest News

31 July 2023

4 min read

From Costa Rica to Meta’s Latest Plasmonic Banknote Security Feature

Meta Materials Inc has been a pioneer in banknote OVD technology for the past decade with innovations in micro-, nano- and now plasmonic structures. The company has also developed in-house secure foil production so that it can offer banknote stripes direct to customers.

Banknotes Technology

Astrid Mitchell

31 July 2023

2 min read

Oumolat Becomes 1st BnEI Member from the Middle East

The Banknote Ethics Initiative (BnEI), which is 10 years old this year, now has 15 members after Oumolat Security Printing LLC was formally accredited by the BnEI Accreditation Council.

Banknotes Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

2 min read

Mauritania Trials New Substrates versus Polymer

To mark the 50th anniversary of the creation in June 1973 of the ouguiya (MRU) as the national currency of the West African state of Mauritania, the Banque Centrale de Mauritanie is issuing a commemorative MRU 50 banknote on not one but three different substrates.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

3 min read

The Absence of Everything – New Concepts Pioneered by BDR and Partners

At the Currency Conference in May, Dieter Sauter, Vice President & General Manager Value Printing for Bundesdruckerei, unveiled the concept behind the ‘Dark Banknote Series‘, and the first note in this series (ExNihilo), which is the result of the SIRALab initiative.

Banknotes Technology

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

4 min read

Windows and All That Jazz

SUSI Optics® Jazz™, the latest addition to the SUSI Optics® family of optically variable features for banknotes, was launched at the Currency Conference in May, with a stunning specimen note produced to demonstrate the spectrum of opportunities it offers.

Banknotes Technology

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

4 min read

Be Bold. Buy the Best.

If you are responsible for the design and issue of a new banknote, you face a daunting task. As the latest edition of Currency News™ suggests, it can be a complex and unenviable undertaking. Frankly, good luck!

Banknotes Free Free

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

2 min read

Jamaica Makes the Change

The Bank of Jamaica’s new banknote series has now gone into circulation, marking a complete transition to polymer for the country’s currency.

Banknotes

Nikki Strickland

2 July 2023

5 min read

Design Thinking: Security that is Greater than the Sum of its Parts

Banknote users see a holistic banknote when they transact but our industry doesn’t always think holistically. A significant proportion of our time is focussed on individual components and, whilst these are incredibly important, we risk overlooking the essential role of integration in unlocking the next wave of banknote innovation.

Banknotes Technology

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

3 min read

Indian Banknote Firm Eyes Global Growth

‘Make in India’, the long-running government-sponsored initiative to ‘on-shore’ production and reduce imports, is now resulting in Indian entities becoming global providers.

Banknotes Companies

Astrid Mitchell

31 May 2023

3 min read

India Withdraws Top Denomination

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the withdrawal of the 2,000 rupee banknote from circulation, albeit that it will continue to be legal tender. Even so, the public is being urged to exchange the notes before 30 September, marking the end of this denomination which was only introduced in 2016.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

31 May 2023

1 min read

New Service to Help Explore Biodegradability of Banknotes

Blendpaper was one of the presenters in the second episode of the Cash & Payments Sustainability Forum™ online seminar series on repurposing unfit cotton banknotes.

Banknotes Events Sustainability

Astrid Mitchell

31 May 2023

3 min read

IACA Excellence in Currency Awards 2023

The Currency Conference gala dinner on 16 May hosted the presentation of the latest International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) 2021 Technical Excellence in Currency Awards.

Banknotes Coins Events

Astrid Mitchell

30 May 2023

4 min read

South Africa Upgrades Banknotes and Issues New Coin Series

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has released an upgraded set of banknotes and coins, which feature enhanced security features, colour, and – for the coins – new fauna and flora.

Banknotes Coins

Astrid Mitchell

29 May 2023

3 min read

A New Dimension in Ink Security from Gleitsmann

Gleitsmann Security Inks (GIS) used the Currency Conference to launch glairINK , a new suite of infrared (IR) inks for intaglio and offset printing that, the company says, sets a new standard in future machine-readable security features for banknotes.

Banknotes Substrates, Features Technology

Astrid Mitchell

25 May 2023

5 min read

Note and Coin News

The Central Bank of Solomon Islands has announced plans to issue a new commemorative $10 banknote printed on SAFEGUARD® polymer by De La Rue. The new $10 note has been produced to commemorate the XVII Pacific Games 2023, which will be held for the first time Solomon Islands in November 2023.

Banknotes Coins

Astrid Mitchell

24 May 2023

5 min read

Best Practices in Level 3 Feature Selection and Use

At the end of March, the International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) held a members-only webinar which focused on the best practices in Level 3 security feature selection and use.

Banknotes Events

Astrid Mitchell

16 May 2023

2 min read

In Celebration of the 17th Pacific Games

The Central Bank of Solomon Islands has announced plans to issue a new commemorative $10 banknote printed on SAFEGUARD® polymer by De La Rue.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

23 April 2023

4 min read

The Drop in Demand for New Banknotes – New Predictive Models Needed

Whilst we have reported in the last two issues on broadly positive financial results for the cash management sector, the same cannot be said of the banknote production side of the industry, as De La Rue’s recent trading update shows.

Banknotes Cash Handling Free Free

Astrid Mitchell

2 April 2023

2 min read

Nigeria’s About Turn on Currency Changeover

The Central Bank of Nigeria has halted its naira redesign programme, 10 days after the Supreme Court ruled that it hadn’t given sufficient notice to the public to exchange the old notes for new.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

2 April 2023

1 min read

New Caribbean Guilder On the Way

The Central Bank of Curaçao and St Maarten (CBCS) has said it expects that the introduction of the new Caribbean guilder will be completed in the second half of 2024. The new currency will replace the Netherlands Antillean guilder that has been in circulation since 1952.

Banknotes