The decade-defining global pandemic, climate-driven disasters and economic disruptions have all had a profound impact on our personal, professional and social lives.

Special awards have been made to a number of newly introduced banknotes that have demonstrated outstanding technical sophistication and excellence in design and security.

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.

In the December edition of Industry Watch, the focus was on COVID, and the emergence of a new variant that was a major blow to the anticipated return to relative normality.

The organisers of the Global Currency Forum (GCF) confirm they are ready to launch the first event for the global currency industry from the industry’s leading suppliers, the GCF partners who represent the entire life cycle of currency.

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.

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.

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.

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 Swiss National Bank has conducted a Life Cycle Analysis on its 9th series of banknotes. The study looked only at those elements of the life cycle directly under the control of the SNB, the manufacture, wholesale distribution and disposal of notes.

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.

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.

In Russia and in Ukraine people have turned to cash, with large queues at bank branches and ATMs. The National Bank of Ukraine enacted a temporary cash withdrawal limit of 100,000 Ukrainian hryvnia per day — the equivalent of about $3,339 – and both countries have imposed capital controls.

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

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.

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.

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

The Reserve Bank of India has opened a new security ink manufacturing unit, VARNIKA, which will be operated by its subsidiary Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited in Mysore.

The Reserve Bank of Fiji has issued a commemorative $7 banknote to celebrate the achievements of its Rugby 7s teams at the Tokyo Olympics, where the men’s and women’s teams picked up a gold and a bronze medal respectively.

After two years of COVID inflicted disruptions, Reconnaissance International was able to restart the acclaimed series of High Security Printing Conferences with a fiesta feel in Mexico City.