Across the world, banknotes commemorate and celebrate leading and noteworthy people from across history and culture. In essence, they are the business cards and the cultural identity of each country, acting as a physical symbol of national pride.

Another conference taking place in Warsaw later this year is The Future of Cash conference, from 3-5 November, which will bring together key stakeholders from across the cash community to explore innovative strategies for shaping the future of the cash cycle.

Registration is now open for the Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) conference, which will be held in Warsaw from 15-17 September 2025.

The programme will shortly be published for the High Security Printing (HSP Latin America) conference, which returns 9-11 June to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – the location for the inaugural event back in 2012.

Banque de France used the opportunity of Intergraf Currency+Identity to launch EverFit® Enhanced on the Industry Innovation Arena Stage of the conference, the latest significant upgrade to the composite banknote since its introduction in 2014.

Even though innovations in digital payments have accelerated in recent decades, cash is the only payment option for a number of citizens in every country. Moreover, the great majority of people would like to keep cash as one of their payment options – even in those countries where its share in transactions is already small. Cash is also used for precautionary reasons as well as a store of value and has a significant role in various crises and uncertainties.

The Bank of England has appointed Sarah John, current Chief Cashier, as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO), replacing Ben Simson.

The Intergraf Currency+Identity 2025 conference was held with style and innovation from 5-7 March in Milan, Italy. From the start, it promised more than just discussions, offering a creative and insightful take on the world of security printing to the 1,000+ delegates that took part.

Even though innovations in digital payments have accelerated in recent decades, cash is the only payment option for a number of citizens in every country. Moreover, the great majority of people would like to keep cash as one of their payment options even in those countries where its share in transactions is already small. Cash is also used for precautionary reasons as well as a store of value and has a significant role in various crises and uncertainties.

In the fast-changing world of financial technology, companies that once soared can just as quickly find themselves in free fall. AGS Transact Technologies, a prominent player in India's digital payments and cash management sector, is currently at the centre of a developing crisis that has sent shockwaves through the industry.

At the recent High Security Printing™ EMEA conference in Basel, Switzerland, Dr Alexander Brannan from the University of Manchester, and Gary Spinks of Security Fibres UK, presented advances in colour-changing smart materials designed for rapid authentication. This technology addresses key issues in anticounterfeiting by integrating academic research with industrial application.

The Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBB) has released its new CRISP Evolution $1 banknote. While the design remains basically the same as its predecessor, the previous note was printed on Giesecke + Devrient’s Hybrid™ substrate, while the updated version features its Hybrid ADDvance® substrate.

In the December issue of Currency News™ I wrote on whether note issuers are keeping ahead of the counterfeits, with an update on the latest counterfeiting data, using as one of the data points the ppm metric (parts per million, ie. the number of counterfeits detected versus the number of genuine notes in circulation). The following month, Duncan Reid wrote about the shortcomings of the ppm as a metric. It is great that the topic has raised debate, and Duncan’s article provides the few interesting viewpoints, which Currency News has invited me to comment on.

Financial authorities remain concerned about counterfeiting US currency; however, recent studies suggest a declining trend in the circulation of fake banknotes. A new report by Ruth Judson and published by the Federal Reserve – Estimating the Volume of Counterfeit US Currency in Circulation – provides insights into counterfeit US dollar circulation and its economic impact.

The 2025 Currency Conference is returning to Bangkok, Thailand, from 26-29 May 2025. Conference organiser Currency Research expects to welcome nearly 400 delegates from 70 countries, including 70 central banks and 150 organisations in total. At the time of publication, nearly 50 central banks have already registered for the event.

The 2025 edition of the High Security Printing™ EMEA conference was located, for the first time in its history, in Switzerland, in the picturesque city of Basel. The sell-out event attracted 265 delegates, from 117 organisations spanning 44 countries. 38% of the organisations were from government (central banks, issuing authorities) or state printworks.

Data both allows and creates questions. Answering questions generates information. Information allows decisions and actions. Without accurate, relevant, reliable, consistent, standardised and timely data, creating and delivering anything is hard, particularly change.

Back in May last year we covered the pre-launch at the Banknote Conference of a new polymer substrate from Covestro, and in December the official launch under the name CERTEVO®. It appears we were premature, as that launch referred to the version intended for ID and secure document, not currency.

Each February and March we cover the previous year’s results for the leading companies in cash management, most of whose financial years run from January to December. Between them these results provide a useful means of taking the pulse of our industry.

The landscape of currency is undergoing a significant transformation. While cash remains a fundamental means of payment, the rise of digital transactions and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) is reshaping the future of money.