Few people who are still around in the industry will be able to recall the first Currency+Identity conference (referred to then, and frequently now as well, as just ‘Intergraf’), back in 1976. But since those early days with around 80 participants, it has grown to become one of the ‘must-attends’ of the currency and identity industries, with around 1,000 people typically taking part each 18 months.

One of the main most visual environmental impacts of banknotes is not in their production but their destruction – with incineration and landfill still being all-too-frequent methods of removal. In last month’s Currency News™, we reported on the results of the 2025 Banknote Recycling Study, the latest biennial survey from Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering (Kusters), which explored how central banks are handling the disposal of unfit notes in particular, and progress made (or not) since the previous survey of 2023.

It was three years ago this month that war broke out in Sudan. As has been previously, and frequently, reported in Currency News™, cash is the first and last resort in war-torn countries, as well as those affected by natural disasters. It is a matter of priority therefore, for the supply and distribution of currency to be maintained even in the most challenging of circumstances.

The International Currency Association has a busy year ahead, with the upcoming Global Currency Forum taking place this April, a major study on the social value of cash in the making, an expansion of the Cash Matters social media campaign and, in the most recent development, the arrival of several new members from the minting community.

In last month’s Currency News™, we reported on a new programme for financial inclusion called MoneyBox. In this interview, we provide more detail on this far-sighted and far-reaching initiative.

This March, the Caribbean guilder – the new currency for the people of the Caribbean islands of Curaçao and Sint Maarten – went into circulation, a good 15 years after the issuer of its predecessor – the Netherlands Antillean guilder – ceased to exist. A number of factors meant that, ultimately, the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) was left with little choice but to introduce a new currency. But its introduction was not without its challenges – not least because the people of the two islands were largely indifferent.

At the recent HSP™ Latin America conference in Rio, the winner of the Regional Commemorative Banknote of the Year award was Banco de Guatemala (Banguat) for the Q1 quetzal. The Governor, Alvaro González Ricci, who received the award, also spoke about the banknote in his presentation at the conference.

At a time when central banks in many European countries are distancing themselves from the business of banknote production, and/or focusing on digital alternatives to cash, the Banque de France (BdF) is going in the opposite direction – doubling down not just on printing but also substrate production through major investments. It has also restructured and bolstered the cash distribution infrastructure, taking proactive steps to ensure that French citizens have access its products!

CCL Secure – the pioneer in polymer substrates for banknotes – has launched a more sustainable version of GUARDIAN™ substrate, which builds on decades of work to drive greener outcomes with polymer banknotes. According to the company, independent evidence shows polymer banknotes lower emissions, reduce the use of raw materials, and limit waste through recycling, with more than 85% of GUARDIAN banknotes being recycled right now.

It’s an exciting time for Crane NXT. Crane NXT (‘CXT’ – NYSE) just completed the acquisition of De La Rue’s Authentication business, and combined it with its existing portfolio, the Smart Packaging assets of TruTag and brand protection specialist OpSec (acquired in 2024) to form a new company – Crane Authentication. Together with Crane Currency, these form the newly-created business unit Security & Authentication Technologies (SAT), which sits alongside Crane Payment Innovations.