De La Rue, in collaboration with Onoto, has launched ‘The SAFEGUARD® Pen’ – a limited-edition writing instrument that, it says, represents more than a century of shared heritage, craftsmanship and innovation.

In what could be termed a new tactic for Russia in its war against Ukraine, it dropped fake banknotes with propaganda QR codes into some of Ukraine’s border regions ahead of its annual 9 May Victory Day celebrations.

Economist and financier Kevin Warsh has been confirmed as the new Chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, succeeding Jerome Powell, whose tenure over the past year has been marked by clashes with President Trump.

Qatar Central Bank has issued new 5 and 10 riyal banknotes of the 5th Series with a modified design that includes Western numerals on the bottom left corner of the front of the notes, instead of the Arabic number.

Counterfeit banknote levels fell to a historic low of 0.64ppm in Albania last year, when only 107 counterfeits were seized in circulation. The largest share of counterfeit banknotes is made up of the 5,000 lekë denomination, followed by the 2,000 lekë and 1,000 lekë denominations.

The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) has issued a new 10 rufiyaa banknote bearing the new symbol for the Maldivian rufiyaa.

On its 50th anniversary, the foreign exchange company Travelex has published its first Travel Money Insights Report. The good news is the headline that 69% of travellers still choose cash.

The Banknote Ethics Initiative (BnEI) has launched the BnEI 2.0 Audit Standard, which it terms a significant advancement in the organisation’s commitment to promoting ethical practices and compliance across the global banknote industry. All BnEI members will now be audited and accredited under the newly developed BnEI 2.0 framework.

ATMIA (the ATM Industry Association) has concluded a merger with ePayResources, a membership-based organisation for financial institutions and businesses focused on payments and a provider of payments education and compliance expertise in the US.

Reconnaissance International, co-publishers of Currency News, have launched DataVault 2.0, which has been comprehensively overhauled with a wealth of new information and an intuitive interface, and is now offered with a range of flexible subscription options to suit all budgets and research needs.