So called ‘normal times’ ended in many respects more than three years ago, in early 2020. Since then, developments have been characterised by growing uncertainty and volatility, first by the COVID-19 pandemic and disruption of global supply chains, and then by geopolitical tensions created by the Russian attack on Ukraine and inflation of food and energy prices.

In 2022, Global Compact Réseau France launched the SDG Awards, designed to reward companies in all sectors that contribute to the concrete implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are committed to initiatives that advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Three well-known faces from our industry have joined forces to set up a new firm offering consulting and advisory services for governments, central banks, security printing house, technology suppliers, brand owners and financial investors.

Do you want to hear about an actual counterfeiting case? Well, here is your chance! The High Security Printing (HSP) Conference Asia is taking place in Sri Lanka, 4-6 December 2023. Register now for what will prove to be a most interesting Counterfeit Workshop, entitled ‘Operation Timerbrier – A Counterfeiters’ Fall from Glory’.

SICPA and the INX Digital Company – the US-regulated broker-dealer, ATS, and transfer agent which offers the first-ever SEC-regulated digital asset trading platform for both cryptocurrencies and security tokens – have launched a new joint venture, Nabatech, to aid government and central bank construct sovereign digital asset ecosystems.

The Banknote Ethics Initiative (BnEI) has announced the appointment of Prof Deon Rossouw, the CEO of The Ethics Institute in South Africa, as its new Chairman. He takes up his new position in October.

Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions (KBBS) has introduced the next iteration in its computer-to-intaglio plate technology with CTiP III, which it claims has a better ecological impact as well as offering new intaglio engraving opportunities to printers.

China Banknote Ink Co Ltd (CBI) provides security inks and related products for China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation (CBPM).

After the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) announced earlier this year that the Philippines’ new polymer 1,000 piso was the 2022 Banknote of the Year winner (see CN April 2023), the Melbourne branch of the IBNS formally presented the award to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Assistant Governor Mary Anne Lim in a ceremony held at Note Printing Australia.

Reconnaissance International, co-publisher of Currency News™, is pleased to announce the release of its new report – ‘Smartphones for Authentication’ – the only publication of its kind.

Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions (KBBS) has launched its EQUINOX24 global event, which will take place in Lausanne, Switzerland from 20 May to 14 June 2024.

Meta Materials, under its former name of Nanotech Security Corporation, has been a pioneer in banknote OVD technology for the past decade with innovations in micro-, nano- and now plasmonic structures.

Koenig & Bauer Banknotes Solutions (KBBS) is forging ahead with its agenda to create physical-digital technology bridges with the announcement of two new partnerships linked to digital authentication.

The Vacuumatic Group, in operation for over 70 years, has announced a restructuring programme involving the closure of its headquarters at Colchester in the UK, and the transfer of production to its former sales and service subsidiary in Germany.

Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions (KBBS) and Aflatoun International, a global leader in innovative financial literacy ecosystems, have announced a new partnership to explore and develop new ways to enable access to financial literacy resources, using banknotes as a tool.

This month we look at how to deter the most common types of counterfeits.

The Central Bank of Jordan has issued the fifth and final note in its new series – the 5 Jordanian dinar (JD).

Giesecke+Devrient has announced the next generation of its BPS® M systems for banknote processing – the BPS® M evo series.

Currency News caught up with Roeland Monasch, CEO of Aflatoun International, and Mark Stevenson, KBBS Market Development Manager, at Aflatoun’s headquarters in Amsterdam, to find out more about the companies' new partnership in the financial literacy space.

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.