Is dollarisation a cure-all for unstable, hyper-inflationary nations? It is very hard to make that judgement, especially since stronger currencies, whether it be the dollar or euro, are also subject to changes in their value which may or may not benefit the dollarised economies in the short-term.

An unscientific rule of thumb taught to those entering the banknote industry used to be that a country needed a population of about 40 million people to justify having their own banknote printing works. This article considers how accurate, or relevant, this rule is in modern times.

Industry custom and practice dictates that a new series of banknotes should be issued every 7-10 years. We don’t know who established that nor how was it determined. As we couldn’t answer these questions, we set out to see whether this convention was being followed by the industry. And to determine if it is still appropriate.

The International Hologram Manufacturers Association has recently expanded the Hologram Image Register to incorporate all optically variable security images. The Security Image Register (SIR) is the only database of its kind for the security community, safeguarding copyright and helping deter attempts to copy security images, inadvertently or otherwise.

Last November, the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) issued a commemorative 10,000 tenge banknote to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the national currency, followed in December by the issue of the first banknote in a new note series, the 5,000 tenge.

Currency News™ has officially ‘come of age’! That is, if reaching its 21st birthday counts as the coming of age – which in many societies it does.

The growth of the internet and social media has been accompanied by a growth in fake news and a fall in traditional, fact-checked journalism. Articles and claims can be circulated freely without appropriate governance. Fake news on a range of issues has incited violence and hate while changing behaviours and influencing politics. It can also damage reputations and lead to unfair advantages.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) roared into the public consciousness in 2023. Its widespread use and, more importantly, its potential have become visible to all, not just the small specialist user community that has been working on it for years. Clearly, AI is of great interest to central banks from the policy makers through the cash issue department.

Currency News™ sat down with Marilou in one of CBN’s three manufacturing facilities in Ottawa to find out more about the company, its markets, its unique strengths, and how she is managing to continue the legacy of her husband and put culture and people at the heart of everything CBN does.

As published in July`s edition of Currency News, Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) held its Currency Technology Symposium 2023 that month in Munich, the main themes of which were resilience, hyper-efficiency and sustainability within the cash cycle, and the role of cash in today´s world.