The Currency Conference gala dinner on 28 May hosted the presentation of the latest International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) 2025 Technical Excellence in Currency Awards.
There were four categories, with three finalists in each.
The finalists were:
The winner was the BSP for its new polymer series, and specifically the new 50, 100, and 500 piso banknotes issued in 2024 (the first in the series, the 1,000 piso, was issued in 2022).
BSP partnered with Note Printing Australia for the production of the new notes, the designs of which incorporated features carefully selected to represent qualities and values that Filipinos identify with and are known for.
Moreover, each security element, from the clear windows to dynamic colour shifting effects, enable simple, rapid verification by the public.
The finalists were:
The winner was the Monnaie de Paris in what was a joint project with the French Ministry for Education, the first time such an initiative has taken place between the two institutions. By highlighting the coin – specifically developed to celebrate the Paris 2024 Olympics – and distributing it to millions of children it opened the minds of coins to potential young collectors.
The three finalists were:
The winner was the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) who, in 2023, launched the upgraded Nelson Mandela banknote series and the Fourth Decimal Coin Series.
Creativity defined the launch campaign, themed 'Our Money, Our Pride'. The project’s success was underpinned by a robust stakeholder engagement strategy, ensuring seamless integration into the cash-handling ecosystem across South Africa.
The three finalists were:
The winner was Glory, whose project leverages SNR technology to enhance cash visibility and efficiency across the cash cycle. The project has involved collaboration with key stakeholders from various sectors, including central banks, retail, banks, CIT, and cash centres and has achieved comprehensive visibility into banknote conditions and locations, enabling detailed lifecycle analysis and management. This, in turn, has facilitated better decision-making and operational efficiency.
The SNR project has also enhanced cooperation with authorities for AML (anti-money laundering) efforts and enabled faster reconciliation and credit for retailers, leading to increased productivity.
In addition to the Excellence in Currency Awards, which were first held in 2007, IACA held an induction ceremony at the Currency Conference for two new members of the Currency Hall of Fame (CHOF) .
The CHOF was inaugurated in 2011 to provide a permanent public record and memorial of the outstanding achievements of very select individuals who have made a significant impact in the currency industry, and that year saw the induction of four distinguished contributors to the currency industry. Since then, 14 more inductees have been celebrated.
This year, they were joined by two titans of the industry – Antti Heinonen (formerly of the Bank of Finland, European Central Bank and the Banknote Ethics Initiative) and Richard (Rick) Haycock, whose long career in the sector began with cash processing systems before founding a number of conferences, industry associations and publications to strengthen the currency industry through community and information sharing.
Full details of the IACA award winners and finalists, along with the two new inductees to the Currency Hall of Fame, can be found here.
