Mali’s Ministry of Economy and Finance has said that claims circulating on social media about the imminent introduction of a common currency for the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) are false.

Further to the news that Pakistan’s federal government has formed a committee to investigate whether the 10 rupee banknote should be phased out in favour of its existing equivalent coin (see CN January 2026), a new currency management report has recommended that it should, noting that the shift could save the country billions.

CCL Secure has been awarded a tender by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to supply GUARDIAN™ polymer substrate for the 200,000 dong (VND) denomination.

The Bank of Japan was joint winner of the Best New Banknote Series at the HSP Asia conference in Kuala Lumpur last December for the new 10,000, 5,000, and 1,000 yen notes.

The UK is navigating a pivotal moment in its national infrastructure, embarking on major security printing tenders totalling over £1 billion covering banknotes, passports, and excise-control stamps.

The Bank of Papua New Guinea has issued a new 100 kina banknote, commemorating the first anniversary of the death of the late Sir Julius Chan, one of the nation’s most influential political and economic leaders.

There is that saying, ‘you do what you measure’ and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) objectives are part of all our lives. Measurement matters.

The Central Bank of Bolivia (CBB) has announced that, as a result of the plane crash that occurred on 27 February in the district of El Alto (part of the capital, La Paz), banknotes in the denominations of Bs10, Bs20 and Bs50 of Series B, corresponding to the New Boliviano Banknote Series, are no longer legal tender.

Banque de France (BdF), the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB), and Banco de Portugal (BdP) are strengthening their cooperation in the field of banknote production, building on ties dating back to 2017.

In a separate development to its new app, BioBanknote, has developed a composting solution for the disposal of solid waste created in intaglio wiping solution, often referred to as ‘sludge’.

David Iván Espinoza Torrico has been sworn in as the new President of the Central Bank of Bolivia, replacing Edwin Rojas Ulo who had been serving as Interim President.

Following the overthrow of the Assad regime in late 2024, Syria’s transitional government introduced a re-designed and re-denominated series of banknotes at the beginning of 2026 (see CN January 2026). It did this as part of a monetary reform strategy aimed at re-establishing a sound banking sector based on financial stabilisation, transparent foreign exchange, secure digital payments, and sustainable financial inclusion.

On 11 February 2026, Europol announced that Operation DECOY III prevented an estimated €1.2 billion counterfeit banknotes and coins from entering circulation. This was a joint operation between customs and police organisations that were targeting criminal networks distributing fake currency through the post.

444,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation in 2025, according to the European Central Bank. This is a decrease of more than 20% compared with 2024, and a reversal of the trend which had seen numbers climb since 2021. In terms of the counterfeiting ratio, for 2025 it was 14 ppm, compared with 18 ppm the previous year.

On 8 March Switzerland is asking its citizens whether cash acceptance should be included in the constitution, something Slovakia introduced in December last year. On 1 January Australia introduced (limited) cash acceptance legislation and on 4 February the Netherlands passed its Cash Payments Act. It feels as if wherever you look action is being taken to safeguard cash.

The Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) has introduced a new family of Fijian dollar banknotes, with a launch ceremony held on 2 December 2025. The notes – in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 – were designed and printed by Crane Currency on CCL Secure’s GUARDIAN™ substrate, and is the first polymer series to use the integrated MOTION SURFACE® micro-optic stripe on all denominations. The banknotes were issued on 2 January 2026.

The Central Reserve Bank of Peru has issued a new version of the 200 soles banknote.

The Regional Banknote of the Year Awards form part of the High Security Printing (HSP) EMEA conference. This year there were awards for Best New Banknote, Best New Series and Best New Commemorative Banknote, along with Best House Note and, for the first time, Best New Process or Technology.

The National Bank of Ukraine has released a modified 200 hyrvnia (UAH) banknote. While the 2019 design and security features remain, the revised notes carry the slogan: ‘Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!’

This February, HSP EMEA marked its 21st edition with its largest event yet. For the first time, the conference was on the African continent (Rabat, in Morocco), highlighting the region’s growing economic momentum and role in global technology and development, particular as regards secure printing, identity management, and related technologies.