What do the KGB, the Chinese Communist Party, the Canadian Prime Minister and the UK’s Brexit campaign leader have in common?

The Mint Directors Conference 2023 is fast approaching and the Royal Canadian Mint have shared highlights of the programme, comprising two days of thought-provoking sessions.

This month we look at Europe, and the annual reports of some Eurosystem central banks, as well as the central banks of Albania, Denmark, Kosovo and Hungary.

The Central Bank of Libya (CBL) has been reinstated as a unified sovereign institution, almost a decade after it was split in two because of the civil war.

Banknotes have changed considerably since De La Rue printed its first paper money for Mauritius in 1860. The adoption of lithography introduced more colourful designs, patterns, and imagery. Security features such as watermarks, polymer windows, threads, novel inks, and applied features then additionally introduced contrasting textures and sheen, movement and complexity.

The Reserve Bank of Fiji has released a commemorative banknote to celebrate the Chinese Lunar Year of the Dragon. The date of issue – the eighth day of the eighth month– is an auspicious one, the number 8 being the luckiest in Chinese culture, symbolising wealth and good fortune.

Biobanknote, developer of solutions for repurposing end of life banknotes and the Banco Central de Reserva del Perú have recently conducted a composting test with the waste from banknotes withdrawn from circulation at the Control Ambiental plant.

Giesecke+Devrient held its Currency Technology Symposium 2023 in July in Munich. Normally a biennial event, this is the first to be held since 2019 due to COVID, and was attended by more than 300 customers from central banks, printworks and commercial cash handling industry.

Hyosung Innovue (formerly knowns as Hyosung America and the North American subsidiary of South Korean ATM manufacturer Hyosung TNS) has announced the launch of the new Cajera Pivot recycling ATM series for retail applications.

Bulgaria is delaying its entry into the eurozone, and is likely to adopt the single currency in January 2025, as opposed to 2024 as originally planned.

The Cavendish banana, the world’s most consumed fruit, is at risk of extinction due to climate change, viruses and unsustainable agricultural practices. The banana’s decline, suggests Tortoise Media, a UK news organisation, ‘is yet another flashing red light in an economic ecosystem that has ruthlessly prioritised convenience over resilience.’

The Banknote Ethics Initiative (BnEI), which is 10 years old this year, now has 15 members after Oumolat Security Printing LLC was formally accredited by the BnEI Accreditation Council.

The Currency Conference took part in Mexico City in May 2023, overlapping with the Digital Currency Conference.

The Royal Mint (TRM) announced its results for 2022/23 which, according to Anne Jessopp, its Chief Executive, was a pivotal year as it embarked on a five year business transformation plan.

Meta Materials Inc has been a pioneer in banknote OVD technology for the past decade with innovations in micro-, nano- and now plasmonic structures. The company has also developed in-house secure foil production so that it can offer banknote stripes direct to customers.

The Bank of Japan will start issuing its new series of banknotes in around the first half of July 2024. The actual date of issue will be announced when the necessary preparations have been completed.

The July issue of Cash & Payment News™ – our sister publication, analyses how cash is used and the wider payments eco-system.

On 17 July the Central Bank of Lesotho unveiled its first Green Banknote, in commemoration of the 60th birthday of the King of Lesotho, His Majesty King Letsie III, who has reigned since 1996.

China Banknote Designing and Engraving Co, part of the family of companies belonging to China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation, has brand-new inspection and platemaking systems to meet increasing innovation requirements and demand.

IN Groupe, owners of the optical features specialist SURYS, has agreed to buy 100% of the shares of Gleitsmann Security Inks from hubergroup Deutschland for an undisclosed consideration in cash.