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According to sources, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revived discussions about introducing polymer banknotes and is considering a pilot project for public circulation. The proposal was reportedly discussed at a recently held RBI board meeting. However, the RBI has not publicly announced such a programme, and no reference to polymer banknotes appears in its Annual Report for FY2025-26, released on 29 May 2026, covering the year ending 31 March 2026.

After five years and an investment of c. €60 million, De La Rue’s new factory in Malta has been officially opened in the presence of the country’s Prime Minister, Robert Abela; and Silvio Schembri, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects. Described as a ‘supersite’, it will – says De La Rue – support the creation of world class, functionally excellent banknotes for the next 50 years and beyond.

Italy’s Carabinieri have dismantled a major transnational criminal network that used Telegram and Bitcoin to distribute counterfeit euros across Europe. The crackdown, code-named ‘Operation Domino’, culminated in the Carabinieri Anti-Counterfeiting Command Cryptocurrency Section executing court orders against 12 suspects.

Oberthur Fiduciaire unveiled two major additions to its Anima™ micro-optics platform – Anima™ Sign and Anima™ Colour – at the recent Global Currency Forum. Both innovations highlighted advances in machine readability and colour versatility, two increasingly important elements in next-generation banknote security, in addition to the integration of all the effects already available in Anima™.

One of the main most visual environmental impacts of banknotes is not in their production but their destruction – with incineration and landfill still being all-too-frequent methods of removal. In last month’s Currency News™, we reported on the results of the 2025 Banknote Recycling Study, the latest biennial survey from Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering (Kusters), which explored how central banks are handling the disposal of unfit notes in particular, and progress made (or not) since the previous survey of 2023.

In one of the keynote speeches at the Banknote Conference in Washington DC, the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) presented its long-term transformation and modernisation strategy. This is in the context of a new series of banknotes, the first of which will be issued later the year, the postponement of a proposed new production site to replace that in the centre of the capital, and investments that have already seen a 33% reduction in some production costs.

At the recent Global Currency Forum in Antalya, Türkiye, De La Rue introduced OPTILIGHT™, a next-generation optical security platform for banknotes. OPTILIGHT™ combines nano-science, advanced optical engineering, and proprietary algorithms to deliver intuitive visual effects for public authentication.

The Swedish-based international provider of cash management solutions, Loomis AB, is making good on its strategy to expand in Latin America with its most significant acquisition to date, launching a Tender Offer Agreement (TOA) to acquire the Peruvian cash management firm Hermes Transportes Blindados SA. The enterprise value of approximately SEK 4 billion (US$380 million) on cash and debt free basis represents a 6.6x adjusted EBITDA multiple based on Hermes’ 2025 financial year.

ANDRITZ Schuler – the leading manufacturer of equipment for coin and medal production – has announced that, due to persistently challenging economic conditions, it is closing production at the site of its subsidiary ANDRITZ Gräbener in Netphen; Germany. In future, these products will be manufactured together with ANDRITZ Schuler’s systems at its headquarters in Göppingen, Germany.

The International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) has announced the winners of two of the five award categories in their 2026 Excellence in Currency Awards. The winners were announced during the awards presentation at the recent Global Currency Forum in Antalya.

In the March issue of Currency News™, we reported on the webinar hosted by the International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) the previous month on ‘The Future of Commercial Bank Cash Operations’, which is part of a series on the resilience of the cash cycle.

Counterfeit banknote levels fell to a historic low of 0.64ppm in Albania last year, when only 107 counterfeits were seized in circulation. The largest share of counterfeit banknotes is made up of the 5,000 lekë denomination, followed by the 2,000 lekë and 1,000 lekë denominations.

This month, our periodic series of articles covering cash information in central bank annual reports focuses on three countries in Europe, with updates from Denmark, Portugal, and Spain.

The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) has issued a new 10 rufiyaa banknote bearing the new symbol for the Maldivian rufiyaa.

On its 50th anniversary, the foreign exchange company Travelex has published its first Travel Money Insights Report. The good news is the headline that 69% of travellers still choose cash.

Spectra Systems Corporation, a player in machine-readable high-speed banknote authentication, gaming security, and brand protection, has reported its highest profitability since inception in its recently announced annual results for 2025.

‘House Notes: Art, Design and Security in One’, the third issue of a special report from Currency News™ summarising the latest house notes, is now available to download and read.

Two of the workshops at the forthcoming Banknote Conference (11-14 May) are open to all delegates. They are running concurrently, however, so delegates will have to choose between one or the other.

In an era where illicit trade has migrated from back alleys to encrypted chats and global marketplaces, safeguarding national currency requires more than just physical security features.