Latest News

Duncan Reid

21 Jan. 2025

8 min read

PPM Gives False Sense of Security About Counterfeiting

Due to its relative ubiquity, ppm serves as a useful means of comparing trends both within and between countries. But as a metric it has its shortcomings. This article examines some of those shortcomings and proposes an alternative method based on the number of banknotes used for cash transactions.

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Astrid Mitchell

23 Dec. 2024

5 min read

Report Card: ‘A Mixed Year with Evidence of Improvement’

There is a perception that in 2022 and 2023 the currency ‘industry’ was a little flat, even lacking self-confidence, in the face of the fall out from the pandemic and the huge surge in digital payments as societies rapidly went online. The evidence of 2024 tells a rather different story.

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Astrid Mitchell

27 Nov. 2024

3 min read

From Banknotes to Brand Protection – Not for the Faint Hearted

Not content with being a leader in banknote substrates, features and print, Crane NXT is certainly gunning for the brand protection market, having acquired three companies in this area since the start of the year.

Companies Free Free

Astrid Mitchell

31 Oct. 2024

3 min read

CIT Monopoly in New Zealand Risks Repeat of Problems in Australia

New Zealand’s Commerce Commission has cleared the way for Evergreen NZ Holdings to acquire 100% of the shares of ACM New Zealand. Evergreen already owns Armourguard, the country’s dominant supplier of CIT and related service, and the acquisition of ACM from its parent Linfox Armaguard will create a monopoly.

Companies Free Free

Astrid Mitchell

29 Sept. 2024

3 min read

Change is the Only Constant

The first Directory of Currency Suppliers™ was published in 2004. This year has seen the publication of the seventh edition. Here, we take a look at changes between the sixth edition from 2018 and today, and a slightly higher level look at 2004 and today.

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Astrid Mitchell

29 Aug. 2024

3 min read

A Perfect Storm for Mints

The news that the Mint of Finland is closing down will no doubt be cited by many as another grim reminder that cash is on the way out. Certainly, that was the reason given by the company when it announced that it is winding down and will cease operations next year.

Companies Free Free

Astrid Mitchell

1 Aug. 2024

3 min read

Cash Doesn’t Crash

When systems go down, they can go down big-time. As happened recently with the CrowdStrike software update glitch that caused a multitude of Microsoft systems around the world to crash, hitting hospitals and healthcare, transport, hospitality, retailers and payments. Cash, once again, was the fallback option.

Cash Handling Free Free

Francisco Mandiola

3 July 2024

5 min read

A Day Late and a Dollar Short?

Is dollarisation a cure-all for unstable, hyper-inflationary nations? It is very hard to make that judgement, especially since stronger currencies, whether it be the dollar or euro, are also subject to changes in their value which may or may not benefit the dollarised economies in the short-term.

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John Winchcombe

28 May 2024

4 min read

Challenging Manufacturing ‘Truth’: Is Small Beautiful?

An unscientific rule of thumb taught to those entering the banknote industry used to be that a country needed a population of about 40 million people to justify having their own banknote printing works. This article considers how accurate, or relevant, this rule is in modern times.

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Astrid Mitchell

30 April 2024

4 min read

New Banknote Series – Challenging the Convention

Industry custom and practice dictates that a new series of banknotes should be issued every 7-10 years. We don’t know who established that nor how was it determined. As we couldn’t answer these questions, we set out to see whether this convention was being followed by the industry. And to determine if it is still appropriate.

Banknotes Free Free

Astrid Mitchell

2 April 2024

11 min read

The SIR – the Next Frontier in Security Images

The International Hologram Manufacturers Association has recently expanded the Hologram Image Register to incorporate all optically variable security images. The Security Image Register (SIR) is the only database of its kind for the security community, safeguarding copyright and helping deter attempts to copy security images, inadvertently or otherwise.

Free Substrates, Features Free

Astrid Mitchell

29 Feb. 2024

10 min read

Ancient and Modern – Using Kazakhstan’s Unique Cultural Heritage to Create Pioneering New Banknote Series

Last November, the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) issued a commemorative 10,000 tenge banknote to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the national currency, followed in December by the issue of the first banknote in a new note series, the 5,000 tenge.

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Astrid Mitchell

1 Feb. 2024

3 min read

Currency News Comes of Age

Currency News™ has officially ‘come of age’! That is, if reaching its 21st birthday counts as the coming of age – which in many societies it does.

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John Winchcombe

28 Nov. 2023

3 min read

Exploring the Role of AI in the Central Banking Domain

Artificial Intelligence (AI) roared into the public consciousness in 2023. Its widespread use and, more importantly, its potential have become visible to all, not just the small specialist user community that has been working on it for years. Clearly, AI is of great interest to central banks from the policy makers through the cash issue department.

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Astrid Mitchell

3 Nov. 2023

7 min read

Delivering Cash Cycle Resilience and Efficiency

As published in July`s edition of Currency News, Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) held its Currency Technology Symposium 2023 that month in Munich, the main themes of which were resilience, hyper-efficiency and sustainability within the cash cycle, and the role of cash in today´s world.

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Astrid Mitchell

3 Nov. 2023

12 min read

Diversification, Culture and People Provide Blueprint for the Future of Canadian Bank Note

Currency News™ sat down with Marilou in one of CBN’s three manufacturing facilities in Ottawa to find out more about the company, its markets, its unique strengths, and how she is managing to continue the legacy of her husband and put culture and people at the heart of everything CBN does.

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John Winchcombe

28 Sept. 2023

4 min read

Where’s the Money? The Challenge of Managing Change

The London Climate Technology Show, which took place end September, was full of start-ups and other more established companies offering solutions to measure your environmental footprint, to offset your carbon, to sequester your carbon in the soil/ocean/trees etc. etc. etc.

CBDC Free Sustainability Free

Astrid Mitchell

24 Aug. 2023

2 min read

CBDC Conference: from Niche to Mainstream

CBDCs started to become visible in published papers and discussions around 2016. No doubt there was much material before then but the acceleration of interest and activity has taken CBDCs from a niche to main stream media discussions.

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Astrid Mitchell

31 July 2023

4 min read

How to Do Demonetisation Well – the Kenyan Experience

Demonetisation has had something of a bad press in recent years, the disruption caused by the removal of the 500 and 1,000 rupees in India of 2016 and, more recently, Nigeria’s naira redesign being cases in point.

Central Banks Free Studies, Reports Free

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

4 min read

Be Bold. Buy the Best.

If you are responsible for the design and issue of a new banknote, you face a daunting task. As the latest edition of Currency News™ suggests, it can be a complex and unenviable undertaking. Frankly, good luck!

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