Celebrating the 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which took place December to January in Rabat and was eventually won by Senegal, Morocco’s Bank Al-Maghrib has issued a commemorative 250 dirham silver coin and a commemorative 100 dirham banknote.

DataVault tells us that the use of patches on banknotes is increasing, albeit from a low base. In 1999 two issuers had applied a patch to their currency, as of late 2025 the number was 32, just under 20%. The adoption rate is slow but steady. The uptake appears to have no regional or size bias. From Jersey through to Nigeria.

Syria has issued a new currency, removing portraits of the Assad family and redenominating to remove two zeroes.

The Central Bank of Turkmenistan has unveiled a new series of banknotes, designed and printed by De La Rue on SAFEGUARD® polymer, to coincide with 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s recognition as a permanently neutral state.

As noted in the November issue of Currency News™, the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) is issuing a new family of Fijian dollar banknotes, which was officially launched at a special ceremony in Suva, the capital of the Pacific Island nation, on 2 December.

At the recent HSP Asia conference, Tajikistan’s new 100 somoni note celebrating the 25th anniversary of the national currency won the award for Best New Commemorative Banknote.

The Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) of Bhutan has unveiled the designs for the first three notes in its new banknote family – the 100, 500, and 1,000 ngultrum (Nu).

In a bold step to modernise its currency and reaffirm national identity, the Bank of Namibia (BoN) has launched an upgraded series of banknotes and a fully redesigned set of coins. Officially introduced by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in July 2025, the new currency began circulating at the end of September 2025, marking a historic milestone for the nation.

Dr Andrzej Nowak, Head of Open Innovation at SICPA, presented at the Future of Cash conference in Warsaw in November about what a radical banknote of the future could look like.

The Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) is preparing to launch a completely new series of Fijian dollar (FJD, $) banknotes in a major refresh that reflects both technical advances and an updated national vision. The formal unveiling will take place on 2 December in the capital, Suva, by the President of Fiji, HE Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, and the new notes are scheduled to enter circulation from 2 January 2026.