Latest News

31 July 2023

12 min read

SURYS – Acquisitions Point to Ambitions in Physical and Digital Security

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.

Companies

31 July 2023

4 min read

From Costa Rica to Meta’s Latest Plasmonic Banknote Security Feature

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.

Banknotes Technology

Astrid Mitchell

31 July 2023

2 min read

New Printworks for Poland

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).

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

31 July 2023

4 min read

How to Do Demonetisation Well – the Kenyan Experience

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.

Central Banks Free Studies, Reports Free

Kerre Corbin

31 July 2023

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

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

Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

31 July 2023

2 min read

KURZ Recognised for Sustainability Progress

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.

Companies Sustainability

James Shepherd-Barron

31 July 2023

3 min read

Cash Goes Bananas

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.’

Cash Handling

Astrid Mitchell

31 July 2023

2 min read

Oumolat Becomes 1st BnEI Member from the Middle East

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.

Banknotes Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

31 July 2023

9 min read

Central Banks and Cash Round-Up

In our latest monthly summary of central bank annual reports, we look at the Philippines, Korea, Indonesia, Liberia, Eastern Caribbean, Colombia and Taiwan.

News

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

2 min read

Mauritania Trials New Substrates versus Polymer

To mark the 50th anniversary of the creation in June 1973 of the ouguiya (MRU) as the national currency of the West African state of Mauritania, the Banque Centrale de Mauritanie is issuing a commemorative MRU 50 banknote on not one but three different substrates.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

5 min read

CBPM’s Progress on Sustainable Production and Environmental Protection

According to China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation (CBPM), it has been working on sustainable development for some time and has developed a range of solutions to increase the use of clean energy and efficiency.

Sustainability

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

3 min read

The Absence of Everything – New Concepts Pioneered by BDR and Partners

At the Currency Conference in May, Dieter Sauter, Vice President & General Manager Value Printing for Bundesdruckerei, unveiled the concept behind the ‘Dark Banknote Series‘, and the first note in this series (ExNihilo), which is the result of the SIRALab initiative.

Banknotes Technology

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

4 min read

PerceptNote Puts Banknote Designs to the Test

Design testing is not easy but is good practice. Ernesto Gonzalez Candela of Mexican firm UnderCurrency, which offers consulting services and products to assess and improve the performance of banknotes and coins, presented a new tool at the Optical and Digital Document Security conference in April to help central banks optimise their banknote designs and have confidence that they will perform in circulation.

Technology

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

4 min read

Windows and All That Jazz

SUSI Optics® Jazz™, the latest addition to the SUSI Optics® family of optically variable features for banknotes, was launched at the Currency Conference in May, with a stunning specimen note produced to demonstrate the spectrum of opportunities it offers.

Banknotes Technology

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

4 min read

Nassau – A Spectacular Setting for HSP LatAm 2023

Nassau, the Bahamas was the spectacular setting for the 10th HSP (High Security Printing) Latin America conference, which welcomed 250 delegates from 118 organisations and 36 countries, over half from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Events

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

3 min read

Signs of Recovery as De La Rue Resolves Financial Issues

De la Rue has announced its results for the financial year ending March 2023. These were eagerly awaited following a trading update issued by the company April (see CN April 2023).

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

2 min read

Cash Community Initiatives from CashEssentials

The independent think tank CashEssentials has launched two new initiatives – the Cash Academic Network and the Cash Associations’ Forum – both aimed at building bridges within different groups of the cash community.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

3 min read

Diebold Nixdorf Enters Chapter 11 to Restructure Debt

Whilst NCR appears to be going from strength to strength, the same cannot be said of Diebold Nixdorf, No 2 in the marketplace.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

2 July 2023

4 min read

Be Bold. Buy the Best.

If you are responsible for the design and issue of a new banknote, you face a daunting task. As the latest edition of Currency News™ suggests, it can be a complex and unenviable undertaking. Frankly, good luck!

Banknotes Free Free

Kerre Corbin

2 July 2023

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

This month I would like to discuss the proliferation of novelty notes, which are purchased online and used in exchange for goods and services.

Counterfeiting