In keeping with our apiology theme (ie. the study of bees), one company that is using the stripey stingers to support a major financial literacy initiative is Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions, who presented the BeeSmart educational platform at the recent HSP EMEA conference in Basel.

The United Nations and its agencies hold international observance days (and in some cases weeks or even years) to promote global issues . There are 218 overall – many on familiar topics such as women, family, oceans, the environment. But there are some unexpected ones too - toilets, potatoes, tea, tuna, bicycles, seagrass.

Reconnaissance, co-publisher of Currency News™, launched a new website on 22 April (World Mother Earth Day) as a cash community asset to capture and consolidate initiatives, work and research from every part of the cash cycle and provide tools to support organisations on their pathway to a greener future.

At the High Security Printing™ (HSP) Asia conference in Bangkok last December, currency and counterfeit expert Aleksei Faleev gave a presentation on a survey conducted among cashiers in Kyrgyzstan to gauge their knowledge of and preferences for banknote security features. He has subsequently written this article based on that presentation.

As noted in the December issue of Currency News™, as part of its recent restructuring Koenig & Bauer has spun out its inspection systems and protection technologies into a separate business unit – Vision & Protection (V&P) – headed by Julian Schubert, formerly Vice President of Data, Vision and Authentication Solutions.

Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa known for its abundant mineral resources, particularly copper, and home to the renowned Victoria Falls and a rich cultural heritage. It has a population of around 19.6 million and its currency is the Zambian kwacha (which is subdivided into ngwee).

In the February issue of Currency News™, we ran an interview with Wolfram Seidemann of Giesecke+Devrient on how the company is navigating the digital transformation in money. But G+D is not the only banknote solutions provider diving into the digital world. Orell Füssli, with a legacy spanning more than 500 years, is also firmly established as a leader in high security printing. And, like G+D, it is expanding its expertise to include digital security solutions as well.

Abdul Qader al-Husriya has been appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Syria.

Komori Corporation has announced that it has won a major order for multiple banknote printing systems from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP).

Giesecke + Devrient (G+D) reported its highest revenue in the company’s history, with sales of €3.132 billion for 2024 surpassing its previous record of just under €3 billion in 2023. The company also reported incoming orders of €3.3 billion, again an all-time high, suggesting that the growth strategy is set to continue.

De La Rue, the 211-year-old British icon known for printing some of the world’s most secure banknotes, is turning the page. In a move that marks the end of its public market journey, US- based Atlas Holdings (through its vehicle ACR Bidco Limited) will acquire the company for £263 million in an all-cash deal.

The 32nd Mint Directors Conference (MDC) has recently concluded in Cape Town, South Africa. The event hosted the MDC Coin Awards, which were presented during the MDC Gala Dinner at Cape Point Vineyards.

The Bermuda Monetary Authority’s (BMA) new $5 polymer banknote has won the International Bank Note Society’s (IBNS) Bank Note of the Year Award for 2024.

On 25 December 2024, the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) introduced a new design for the 2,000 tenge banknote. On March 28, 2025, it was the turn of the 1,000 tenge.

Tuvalu is home to 11,000 people and now, for the first time, five ATMs as well, thereby opening up electronic banking for the tiny Pacific island’s inhabitants.

Spectra Systems reported a strong performance for fiscal year 2024, which for the first time included the financial results for Cartor Security Printers (CSP), which it acquired in December 2023.

Our periodic series of articles covering cash information in central bank annual reports is playing catch-up, particularly as it is around this time of year that a number of central banks issue their annual reports for 2024 (and in some cases, previous years).

On 4 April Microsoft turned 50 years old. Amazon is just over 30, Meta is 21 and the iPhone is just 18. Will they last as long as Microsoft?

A country that has issued not just a new family of banknotes and coins, but a whole new currency, is Curaçao and Sint Maarten, where the Caribbean guilder (Gg) went into circulation on 31 March, replacing the Netherlands Antilles guilder.

At the High Security Printing™ Asia conference in Bangkok last December, currency and counterfeit expert Aleksei Faleev gave a presentation on a survey conducted among cashiers in Kyrgyzstan to gauge their knowledge of and preferences for banknote security features. He has subsequently written this article based on that presentation.