COP 28 in December last year provided evidence that the climate is changing, and we are struggling to do what is needed to mitigate or adapt to the change. Given this is the only planet we have, and we are all on this place together, sustainability is relevant to us as individuals and to our work.

The programme for the third Optical and Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) conference – which takes place from 8-10 April 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal – is now available.

How many counterfeit banknotes are in circulation? I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked this question. So, let’s look at how counterfeit banknotes are found and reported.

467,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation in 2023, according to the European Central Bank, which is one of the lowest levels ever since the introduction of the euro in 2002 in proportion to total banknotes in circulation.

The Central Bank of Argentina has approved the printing of 10,000 and 20,000 peso banknotes, amid continuing high inflation.

Jasmina Selimović has been appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH). She replaces Senad Softić and is the first women to hold the position.

Cash & Payment News™ (CPN) is the sister publication to Currency News™. It was first published in July 2018 as the successor to Payment News Quarterly and, while Currency News focuses on the product that is ‘cash’, CPN has concentrated on the use of cash once issued.

In 2021, Currency News™ issued a special supplement – Concept Notes: Art, Design and Security in One – which reviewed the latest and best ‘concept’ or ‘house’ notes. Following the success of this supplement, we will issue the second version in 2024, covering the newest concept notes over the intervening period.

Rather than have a regional focus in this month’s coverage of cash information in central bank annual reports, we are doing a general catch-up this month, with news from the recently-issued reports of the central banks of Fiji, Romania and Russia.

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) has issued a new denomination $2 commemorative banknote in celebration of its 40th anniversary.

Polymer appears to be something of a ‘thing’ in this issue. So, having heard from one established and one emerging polymer substrate manufacturer – De La Rue and Spectra Systems respectively – it seems only fair to hear from the second established manufacturer, CCL Secure, who has provided an end of year summary for GUARDIAN™.

This year’s prestigious Regional Banknote of the Year Awards for Asia were presented at a special ceremony during the High Security Printing™ (HSP) Asia conference earlier this month.

As part of its centenary anniversary celebrations, Komori has produced a house note, The Phoenix 2023. This note celebrates and brings to life Komori’s concept of ‘Power to the Print – Technology that Empowers’.

Cash technology solutions specialist Glory has announced the acquisition of additional shares in the fintech OneBanx, the fully managed shared banking solutions provider.

In 2023, we decided to drop Industry Watch – the quarterly review of the share performance of listed companies in our sector – and provide an annual summary instead.

Spectra Systems Corporation has agreed to buy security printer Cartor Holdings in a deal worth up to £10.5 million. It has described the move as a strategic acquisition to bolster its position in the polymer banknote substrate market.

Danmarks Nationalbank has carried out an analysis of the role of cash in a low cash usage society. 10% of payments are still made in cash and there are groups in society for whom cash is important whether out of necessity or choice. The result is that changes will be made to the currency.

Many people fall victim to the ‘Black Money’ scam, which is basically a get rich quick scheme. Usually there are no counterfeit banknotes involved, but I thought this would be an interesting topic to discuss.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has issued the findings of its Product Environment Footprint (PEF) study, which focuses on the creation and life cycle of banknotes through to their disposal when they become unfit to circulate.

De La Rue appears to be enjoying a rebound following multiple new contract wins and growing demand for banknotes.