After years of discussion and speculation, practical steps are now being taken to trial polymer for Indian banknotes. Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India, has issued a global expression of interest for the manufacture and supply of opacified polymer substrate sheets with advanced security features.

Danmarks Nationalbank has announced that it has entered into an agreement with De La Rue for the production of the upcoming new Danish banknote series. The agreement runs for a minimum of six years, with the possibility of extension, and the new Danish banknotes will be produced at De La Rue's production facility outside London.

The Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) has launched a Golden Jubilee commemorative $50 banknote celebrating its 50th anniversary. The new banknote was designed by De La Rue and printed on SAFEGUARD® polymer.

Banknote security shouldn’t be boring – it must engage people. Let’s start with a simple concept WYSIWYG…. What You See Is What You Get…; at first glance and in its simplest form, a banknote could be perceived as just a piece of printed paper. But in reality, it’s a carefully engineered document designed to communicate authenticity in a fraction of a second.

Currency News™ has published annual updates on the global demand for banknotes since 2017, but these updates have focused mainly on most recent trends. By contrast, this article will address the development of global note demand during a period covering close to three decades. The regular annual update will be published later this year, when the volume figures for 2025 are available.

Oberthur Fiduciaire unveiled two major additions to its Anima™ micro-optics platform – Anima™ Sign and Anima™ Colour – at the recent Global Currency Forum. Both innovations highlighted advances in machine readability and colour versatility, two increasingly important elements in next-generation banknote security, in addition to the integration of all the effects already available in Anima™.

Banco de Guatemala has issued a new commemorative 100 quetzales banknote to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the central bank’s foundation.

In one of the keynote speeches at the Banknote Conference in Washington DC, the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) presented its long-term transformation and modernisation strategy. This is in the context of a new series of banknotes, the first of which will be issued later the year, the postponement of a proposed new production site to replace that in the centre of the capital, and investments that have already seen a 33% reduction in some production costs.

At the recent Global Currency Forum in Antalya, Türkiye, De La Rue introduced OPTILIGHT™, a next-generation optical security platform for banknotes. OPTILIGHT™ combines nano-science, advanced optical engineering, and proprietary algorithms to deliver intuitive visual effects for public authentication.

Following the introduction of the ZiG in April 2024 and public concerns on the quality of the then family of ZiG notes in circulation, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) undertook an evaluation to ensure that ZiG banknotes and coins remain relevant and supportive of economic activity.