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

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.

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.

KURZ, the market leader in security foils for banknotes, has announced that it has been awarded a silver medal from the well-known sustainability rating agency EcoVadis, having achieved excellent results in all four areas examined – the environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

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.

The Central Bank of Belize is to issue a new currency series, which will feature images of national heroes rather than the head of state, King Charles III.

Michele Bullock has been announced as the next Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), making her the first woman to lead the central bank. She replaces Philip Lowe, and will begin her seven-year term in September.

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

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 European Central Bank (ECB) is asking European citizens about their views on the proposed themes for the next series of euro banknotes, which have now been made public.

Let’s talk statistics, even though it is not my favourite subject!

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.

Security features embedded into the substrate of a banknote are particularly difficult for counterfeiters to replicate effectively – and the technology behind these features has advanced significantly in the past several years.

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 Polish state-owned printer and papermaker PWPW is building a new banknote printing plant and paper mill on an 18-hectare site in Warsaw, recently purchased from the state-owned pharmaceutical company Polfa Tarchomin for PLN 143 million (€32 million).

Currency News spoke to Frederic Trojani, CEO of SURYS and Executive Vice President for the Secured Components Division of IN Groupe, about the company’s history, how being part of IN Groupe is helping it fulfil its ambitions in the currency market, and the benefits that the two recent acquisitions will bring.

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.

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 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.