Latest News

Astrid Mitchell

1 Dec. 2023

4 min read

Cash Crash in Australia?

As Currency News™ went to press, news came out that the cash management firms Armaguard, with a 90% share of the market, is seeking a cash injection to ensure it can operate its banknote distribution services profitably, just five months after it merged with rival Prosegur to create a near-monopoly that was supposed to do just that (see CN June 2023).

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

29 Nov. 2023

3 min read

Oberthur Demonstrates the Art of Animation with New Security Thread

As covered in last month’s Currency News, in the Spring of 2023 Oberthur Fiduciaire took out a majority stake in Rolling Optics, which was founded in 2005 with solid technical background from research at the Ångström Laboratory at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

3 Nov. 2023

2 min read

ISRA BankStar for Thread Inspection

German-based ISRA Vision’s BankSTAR family of in-line inspection solution has been extended by a version for security thread microslitting – BankSTAR TS.

Companies Technology

Astrid Mitchell

3 Nov. 2023

1 min read

New Board and ICA Focus for 2024

The International Currency Association (ICA), representing the global currency sector, held its Annual General Meeting in Bilbao, Spain during the Intergraf Currency+Identity conference, and elected the Board for the next two years.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

3 Nov. 2023

2 min read

World’s No 1 ATM Company Goes it Alone

NCR Corporation has successfully completed its planned separation into two publicly traded companies. NCR Atleos, which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on 17 October under the symbol NATL, has carved out the ATM and self-service banking part of NCR, whilst NCR Voyix is responsible for digital commerce.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

3 Nov. 2023

2 min read

KBBS Partners with BIRKAN for Consumables

Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions (KBBS) is continuing its strategy of innovating with partner companies.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

3 Nov. 2023

2 min read

A New Association for Mints is Born

At the recent Mint Directors Conference in Ottawa, the Mint Directors Association (MDA) was formally announced. It has now been legally incorporated as a not-for-profit association, and is the successor to the MDC, the looser association of mint directors that has been in existence since 1962.

Coins Companies

Ernesto González Candela

3 Nov. 2023

6 min read

A BAAD™ Way to Assess Substrate Durability

UnderCurrency was established in 2019 as a technical consultancy service. We are based in Mexico and specialise in methodologies, solutions and systems for evaluating and enhancing the security, functionality and durability of secure documents and banknotes.

Companies Technology

Astrid Mitchell

28 Sept. 2023

3 min read

Toshiba Thrown a Lifeline as Bid Takes it Private

Toshiba – the Japanese industrial conglomerate and one of only two producers of high speed currency processing systems – has announced that a ¥2 trillion ($14 billion) tender offer from private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) has ended in success, paving the way for the company to go private.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

28 Sept. 2023

5 min read

Interim Results Broadly Positive for Industry

Until relatively recently, we ran a round-up of company results in the quarterly Industry Watch. We have replaced this with a periodic summary of central bank annual reports relating to cash, but continue to cover the companies in our sector with reviews of their interim and annual results.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

28 Sept. 2023

1 min read

SDG Award for Oberthur

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.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

28 Sept. 2023

1 min read

A New Force in Consultancy and Strategic Advice

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.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

28 Sept. 2023

2 min read

INX and SICPA Team Up for CBDC

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.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

28 Sept. 2023

2 min read

CTiP III Offers New Greener Engraving

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.

Companies Technology

Astrid Mitchell

28 Sept. 2023

3 min read

The Security Ink Supplier of Chinese Banknotes and Beyond

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

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

27 Sept. 2023

2 min read

A Quantum Leap for Meta Materials

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.

Banknotes Companies

Astrid Mitchell

27 Sept. 2023

2 min read

Koenig & Bauer Steps into Digital Authentication

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.

Companies Technology

Astrid Mitchell

28 Aug. 2023

2 min read

Vacuumatic Restructures, Expands in Germany

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.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

28 Aug. 2023

1 min read

New Partnership for Financial Literacy

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.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

24 Aug. 2023

2 min read

Hitachi Moves into Cash Services

Hitachi Payment Services, India’s leading integrated payment solutions provider and a subsidiary of the Japanese multinational technology conglomeration Hitachi, has entered into an agreement to acquire the cash management business of Writer Safeguard from its parent, the Writer Corporation.

Companies