At Intergraf's just-concluded Currency+Identity online conference, Bernadette O’Brien presented the work done by the European Central Bank (ECB) on improving the environmental sustainability of euro banknotes. From its first life cycle assessment (LCA) of the first euro series in 2004 through to its 2020 Product Environmental Footprint project, the ECB has steadily worked to ensure the euro banknotes are ‘good citizens’.

The state-run Korean Minting, Security Printing and ID card Operating Corp (KOMSCO) has announced the implementation of an emergency management system in the face of losses sustained last year.

When a polymer banknote is produced, a number of opacification layers are printed onto the core substrate so that it can accept the traditional banknote printing processes such as litho, intaglio, screen and letterpress printing.

G4S shareholders have accepted a £3.8 billion from Allied Universal, bringing to a close a months-long battle between two firms to take control of the security services company.

The Federal Reserve of New York has announced the appointment of Naureen Hassan as its First Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). She replaces Michael Strine, who retired at the end of February.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a prime factor in companies’ financial results for the last year, and for most its impact has been negative. Orell Füssli’s results are no exception. In an opening statement it said the company ‘held its own in a difficult market environment in 2020. Although sales and profitability were lower than in the previous year and cash flow was negative due to high capital expenditure, our balance sheet allows us to pay a dividend to our shareholders’.

Three years ago, the family-owned security ink business Luminescence was acquired by Sun Chemical, the world’s largest manufacturer of inks and pigments to create, in its words, a new global player and an enormous growth platform for the company in the $2.7 billion security ink market. Since then, whilst the company is now called Luminescence Sun Chemical Security, it seems to be very much business as usual in the highly specialised security ink market, where technical requirements are exceptionally demanding and competition relatively limited.

The National Bank of Ukraine, the ECB and Federal Reserve, Crane Currency and CCL Secure are among the winners in the Central Banking Awards 2021, presented annually by the Central Banking Journal and which this year have nearly doubled in number to 29.

Cryptocurrencies, the best known of which is Bitcoin, exist almost entirely in the digital sphere, connecting with the physical world only if the owner writes down their digital key or if they use one of the growing number of ATMs where they can exchange their cryptocurrency for physical cash. A new venture, Noteworthy, is looking to change that, embedding cryptocurrencies into what will look and feel like a traditional banknote.

The Central Bank of Iraq has added a feature to its banknotes to protect them from bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus strain. The feature is not named, but is described as a biological pesticide developed by international companies specialised in printing banknotes, and is presumed to be incorporated in a coating/varnish. The notes containing the feature will be put into circulation soon.

The Board of the Central Bank of Russia has issued its ‘Guidelines for Cash Circulation Development in 2021-2026’. Its over-arching goals are to ensure the stability of cash circulation, optimise costs based on the development of technical infrastructure, as well as the formation of partnerships with banks for holding stocks of banknotes.

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) issued its new $5 polymer banknote into circulation this month, completing the transition of its new family onto SAFEGUARD® polymer banknotes.

According to Jura, COVID-19 has required a lot of strategic rethinking. The company’s core way of conducting business has always been in-person, building rapport with current and future clientele via personal contact.

In 2014, Spectra Systems (Spectra) launched Aeris™, a unique new banknote disinfection system which uses carbon dioxide in a supercritical phase to penetrate banknotes and remove oxidised oils and other contaminants, effectively ‘washing’ the notes with gas.

Globalisation is the result of the ability to move and communicate easily with others leading eventually to global cultural, political and economic integration.

One increasingly common counterfeit technique is harvesting – the act of taking a security feature from a lower value object and incorporating it into a counterfeit banknote of higher value. There are several ways to minimise harvesting, including making each security feature bespoke.

Revenue for 2020 of €1.03 billion exceeded Koenig & Bauer’s guidance of €900-950 million, but was €217.2 million (17 .4%) lower than that achieved in 2019, according to its recently announced results.

Russian banknote printer and papermaker Goznak is the latest in a series of currency suppliers to move into digital payments, having signed an agreement to acquire a stake of 50% plus one share in fintech company Preprocessing Settlement Center JSC (JSC PRT), which operates under the Uniteller trademark.

Despite Sweden being in the vanguard of the cashless movement, its central bank – Sveriges Riksbank – is opening new offices to handle notes and coins.

Ergonomics and automation are well-known terms these days. But where does the banknote industry stand in these areas? Do printworks have to address both areas, which benefit employees and companies alike?