Latest News

1,261 articles online

Astrid Mitchell

1 July 2026

3 min read

Our Enduring Emotional Attachment to Cash

Four separate cash-related stories from four separate countries in the last month. One theme in common, however, which is the enduring personal attachment to banknotes – dare one say the emotional support – that currency involves. In other words, what unites them is the fact that emotion still prevails when it comes to a nation’s calling card, even in those countries which are supposedly doing away with cash, as is claimed to be the case in Denmark and the UK.

Comment Free Free

Astrid Mitchell

1 July 2026

2 min read

IOTA Launches Start-Up Membership Programme

The International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA) has introduced a new Start-Up Membership Programme to encourage innovation and strengthen collaboration across the optical security and authentication sector.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 July 2026

12 min read

Celebrating 50 Years of Intergraf Currency+Identity

Few people who are still around in the industry will be able to recall the first Currency+Identity conference (referred to then, and frequently now as well, as just ‘Intergraf’), back in 1976. But since those early days with around 80 participants, it has grown to become one of the ‘must-attends’ of the currency and identity industries, with around 1,000 people typically taking part each 18 months.

Kerre Corbin

1 July 2026

2 min read

Counterfeit Corner

Italy’s Carabinieri have dismantled a major transnational criminal network that used Telegram and Bitcoin to distribute counterfeit euros across Europe. The crackdown, code-named ‘Operation Domino’, culminated in the Carabinieri Anti-Counterfeiting Command Cryptocurrency Section executing court orders against 12 suspects.

Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

1 July 2026

4 min read

News in Brief

De La Rue, in collaboration with Onoto, has launched ‘The SAFEGUARD® Pen’ – a limited-edition writing instrument that, it says, represents more than a century of shared heritage, craftsmanship and innovation.

News

Astrid Mitchell

1 July 2026

2 min read

Kenyan Printworks Bought by Local Firm

The Competition Authority of Kenya has officially authorised Monarch Capital – a leading investment firm in the country – to acquire 100% of the shares of De La Rue Currency and Security Print (K) Ltd – De La Rue’s former Kenyan banknote and security printworks. This was the last remaining stake left behind after De La Rue’s 2023 banknote printing exit and marks a move towards full ‘kenyanisation’ of banknote production.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 July 2026

3 min read

Durasafe® Eco – Better for the Environment

Durasafe®, from Swiss substrate producer Landqart, is a composite material that consists of two outer layers of security paper, fused together with a central core of transparent polymer. The strength of the polymer core combines with the benefits of well-known paper security features to offer a product that is ‘the best of both worlds’.

Sustainability

Antti Heinonen

29 June 2026

9 min read

Development of Banknotes in Circulation Since 1998, and By Regions

Currency News™ has published annual updates on the global demand for banknotes since 2017, but these updates have focused mainly on most recent trends. By contrast, this article will address the development of global note demand during a period covering close to three decades. The regular annual update will be published later this year, when the volume figures for 2025 are available.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

25 June 2026

2 min read

Q&T and KURZ Partner to Embed KINEGRAM® in PolySecure®

Q&T Hi-Tech Polymer and KURZ have signed a Project Development Cooperation Agreement to integrate KINEGRAM® optical security features into Q&T’s PolySecure® polymer banknote substrate. The partnership will focus on embedding KURZ’s KINEGRAM® technology directly within the layers of Q&T’s polymer substrate structure, creating a higher level of security integration than conventional surface-applied features.

Companies Substrates, Features

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

2 min read

India Reopens Polymer Banknote Debate After More Than a Decade

According to sources, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revived discussions about introducing polymer banknotes and is considering a pilot project for public circulation. The proposal was reportedly discussed at a recently held RBI board meeting. However, the RBI has not publicly announced such a programme, and no reference to polymer banknotes appears in its Annual Report for FY2025-26, released on 29 May 2026, covering the year ending 31 March 2026.

Substrates, Features

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Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

4 min read

AI – Add On or Core Technology?

This article is not written with the assistance or input of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Perhaps you can tell!

Technology

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

3 min read

BEP’s Long Term Transformation – New Investment, but New Facility on Hold

In one of the keynote speeches at the Banknote Conference in Washington DC, which has recently concluded, the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) presented its long-term transformation and modernisation strategy. This is in the context of a new series of banknotes, the first of which will be issue later the year, the postponement of a proposed new production site to replace that in the centre of the capital, and investments that have already seen a 33% reduction in some production costs.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

1 min read

Banco de Guatemala Celebrates

Banco de Guatemala has issued a new commemorative 100 quetzales banknote to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the central bank’s foundation.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

4 min read

In Other News

Qatar Central Bank has issued new 5 and 10 riyal banknotes of the 5th Series with a modified design that includes Western numerals on the bottom left corner of the front of the notes, instead of the Arabic number.

News

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

4 min read

IACA Excellence in Currency Awards 2026 – the Winners Are…

This year there were five categories in the International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) Excellence in Currency Awards. The winners of two were announced and presented at the Global Currency Forum at the end of April, and the remaining three at the Banknote Conference in Washington, DC in May.

Awards

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

5 min read

The Reality of Cash Discussed at the Global Currency Forum

Nearly 440 people gathered at a resort hotel in Antalya, Türkiye, at the end of April for the Global Currency Forum (GCF), organised by the International Currency Association (ICA).

Events

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

3 min read

DataVault Unlocked: QR Codes

Did you know that some banknotes have QR codes? A QR (quick-response) code is a two-dimensional (2D) matrix barcode consisting of black and white squares that stores encoded data, such as website URLs, text or contact information. When a user scans the QR code, which can be done using a smartphone, they gain access to information about the currency, the issuing institution, or the commemorative events celebrated in the design.

Technology

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

4 min read

AI-Empowered Smart Banknote Printing at CBPM

China Banknote Printing & Minting Corporation’s (CBPM) development approach to banknote production is being driven by intelligent transformation and digital empowerment, both of which are being harnessed to strengthen technical innovation and propel growth.

Technology

Gustavo Ascenzo

1 June 2026

4 min read

A Structural Solution to the Counterfeiting Cycle

Make no mistake; modern-day counterfeiting is as much a threat to banknote security as it’s ever been. The ubiquity and availability of digital technology and now the rise of AI in our daily lives make it easier than ever for counterfeiters ply their trade.

Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

1 June 2026

2 min read

IN Groupe’s New Vibes

IN Groupe has announced Vibes Shift™, developed by its subsidiary SURYS, which specialises in optical and digital security solutions. Vibes Shift is an extension of Vibes, which launched in 2023, offering colour shift alongside movement.

Technology

Latest News

Our Enduring Emotional Attachment to Cash

IOTA Launches Start-Up Membership Programme

Celebrating 50 Years of Intergraf Currency+Identity

Counterfeit Corner

News in Brief

Kenyan Printworks Bought by Local Firm

Durasafe® Eco – Better for the Environment

Development of Banknotes in Circulation Since 1998, and By Regions

Q&T and KURZ Partner to Embed KINEGRAM® in PolySecure®

India Reopens Polymer Banknote Debate After More Than a Decade

AI – Add On or Core Technology?

BEP’s Long Term Transformation – New Investment, but New Facility on Hold

Banco de Guatemala Celebrates

In Other News

IACA Excellence in Currency Awards 2026 – the Winners Are…

The Reality of Cash Discussed at the Global Currency Forum

DataVault Unlocked: QR Codes

AI-Empowered Smart Banknote Printing at CBPM

A Structural Solution to the Counterfeiting Cycle

IN Groupe’s New Vibes

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