Bangko Sentral ng Pilipians, the Central Bank of Costa Rica, the East Caribbean Central Bank and De La Rue were winners in four of the Central Banking Awards 2022, presented annually by the Central Banking Journal and which number over 30 categories.

Orell Füssli Security Printing and AUGENTIC’s Connected Banknote – the UTOPIAN DUAL – won the Advancement of Digital Currency Award at the Digital Currency Conference in Washington DC last month, which took place immediately after the Banknote & Currency Conference.

Following on from the successful trio of Banknote Conference, Currency Conference and Digital Currency Conference in February, Currency Research is preparing for their next in-person event, the EMEA Cash Cycle Seminar.

One of the major challenges facing every business today is to operate sustainably. But it’s not enough simply to have a stack of policies, fine words, and good intentions to hand. Actions need to demonstrate that the policies are being put into action.

The switch from paper to polymer banknotes in the Caribbean is gathering speed, with two countries announcing in March that they will be making the change.

Ulster Bank, one of Northern Ireland’s three note issuing banks, has unveiled the design of its new vertically-orientated £50, which is inspired by the women of the province and is being printed on polymer.

The Royal Mint has announced a partnership with Quintet Private Bank to introduce the use of recycled gold in an exchange-traded commodity (ETC).

Ida Wolden Bache, currently Acting Governor of Norges Bank, has now been appointed Governor, after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced he would not take on the role, his appointment having been announced in early February as the successor to Øystein Olsen.

Optical security feature and foil manufacturer KURZ has published a report – Communication on Progress – which presents the company’s sustainability performance to date in detail and also discusses its goals and plans.

According to Giesecke+Devrient, the sustainability revolution has accelerated to embrace an ever-growing range of environmental and social issues.

As has been well documented, sensational and alarmist claims in the media at the outset of the pandemic that handling cash transfers COVID has done long term and potentially irreparable damage to public confidence.

Amongst the sector of the cash community involved in cash handling technology, Glory has led the way in teller automation and recycling systems, and although headquartered in Asia (Japan), has a global footprint.

When handling cash, we normally glance at each banknote for less than a second. Central banks and banknote issuers are coming to realise that this brief glimpse provides a crucial opportunity for public authentication.

KURZ has been a pioneer in the use of diffractive optical anti-counterfeit features on banknotes since its earliest developments on the Australian dollar and the Austrian shilling. Its acquisition of OVD Kinegram (OVDK) in 1999 added proprietary optical features to its existing strengths in materials technology.

In 2019, the Central Bank of the Bahamas issued the $50 banknote in its new CRISP Evolution series, which used Durasafe® substrate from Landqart and included a RAPID® windowed thread from Crane Currency.

Canadian security services provider GardaWorld, the world’s largest privately owned provider of security, cash and risk management service, has announced the launch of Sesami, a new cash ecosystem performance and technology company that will operate independently of its parent.

The first day of the Banknote & Currency Conference, 22 February, saw the presentation of the latest International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) Excellence in Currency Awards. Out of the 39 nominations, a shortlist of 15 was drawn up by the IACA Awards Committee for each of the four categories covered by the awards. These were then put to a ballot of IACA members.

Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions is holding a series of one-day events, which will take place from 26-29 April and 8-12 May at its premises in Lausanne, Switzerland. Live presentations will be organised across sustainability, modularity and digitalisation.

The Bank of Guyana has launched a new $2,000 banknote to mark the 55th anniversary of Guyana’s independence from the UK, in 1966. The release, which was delayed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, is the first Guyanese banknote to use polymer substrate.

The National Bank of Kazakhstan is renowned for its early adoption of high-tech security and innovative design, and has established itself as a testing ground for new features, with these trialled on commemorative and house notes before being adopted on circulating notes.