Latest News

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

2 min read

The Future of Cash in an Uncertain World

Another conference taking place in Warsaw later this year is The Future of Cash conference, from 3-5 November, which will bring together key stakeholders from across the cash community to explore innovative strategies for shaping the future of the cash cycle.

Cash Handling Events

Phillipa Peploe

31 March 2025

5 min read

Women on Currency

Across the world, banknotes commemorate and celebrate leading and noteworthy people from across history and culture. In essence, they are the business cards and the cultural identity of each country, acting as a physical symbol of national pride.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

3 min read

In Other News…

The Central Bank of the UAE has issued a new 100 dirham (AED) polymer banknote, printed by Oumolat on SAFEGUARD with two clear windows. It is part of the CBUAE’s Third Issuance of the National Currency Project, and the final note to be issued in the all-polymer series, which comprises five denominations.

News

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

5 min read

News in Brief

Last month, we reported that Saudi Arabia has a new currency symbol for the riyal. This month, its neighbour, the United Arab Emirates, has also unveiled a new currency symbol for the dirham – both physical and digital.

News

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

4 min read

Gender Parity in Currency – Some Way Still to Go

In case you missed it, 8 March was International Women’s Day. It was an opportunity for organisations to celebrate the achievements of the women in their workforce, notably on social media. The currency industry, traditionally viewed as a bastion of male dominance, was no exception.

Comment

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

2 min read

SPL Partners with G+D for Paper Upgrade

Pakistan’s banknote papermaker Security Papers Ltd (SPL) has entered into a strategic partnership with Giesecke+Devrient to upgrade its PM-2 paper machine, first commissioned in 2004. This initiative aims to enhance SPL’s capacity to produce banknote paper that meets international standards and incorporates the latest security features.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

2 min read

New State of the Art Cash Centre for Angola

President João Lourenço of Angola has officially opened the National Bank of Angola’s new high-tech cash centre – Casa do Kwanza – in the capital, Luanda for the storage, processing and distribution of the country’s currency, the kwanza. The cash centre has been four years in the making, at a budgeted cost of c. Kz 33 billion, and will be able to process up to 4 million banknotes daily.

Cash Handling

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

6 min read

Positive Picture for Cash Companies Continues in 2024 (Part 2)

Last month, we covered the annual results of four of the major companies in the cash sector – Crane NXT, Brinks, Loomis, and Diebold Nixdorf, all of which turned in a respectable performance, showing that the challenges of the COVID years are now a thing of the past.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

2 min read

Oberthur Partners with Giriraj Foils in India

Oberthur Fiduciaire has partnered with Giriraj Foils, a well-respected name in India’s high-security films, stamping foils and laminates market, to deliver advanced authentication solutions tailored for the Indian market. The partnership was announced at the ASPA Traceability and Authentication Forum in New Delhi earlier this month.

Companies

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

3 min read

CYPHER EVO – the Rise of Digital Features

Digitalisation is a buzzword that has been shaping industries for over 40 years, fundamentally transforming products and business models. In the security printing industry, this transformation is particularly relevant as smart devices become dominant tools for interaction and authentication.

Banknotes

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

2 min read

Korea Aims to Make Money from Recycled Money

According to the Bank of Korea (BOK), last year it withdrew and disposed of 474.89 million damaged or contaminated banknotes, amounting to a total value of KRW 3.3761 trillion won, a 1.9% reduction over the previous year. The disposal of these notes is part of its ongoing efforts to maintain the integrity and quality of the currency in circulation, the central bank said. It also disposed of 101.53 million coins.

Sustainability

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

2 min read

Two Currency Winners in Central Banking Awards 2025

Central Banking Publications has announced all 27 winners of its 2025 awards, which are now in their 12th year. The Central Banking Awards recognise outstanding achievements in the central banking community and two of the 27 relate specifically to currency.

Central Banks

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

2 min read

MDC Goes to Cape Town – at Last!

The Mint Directors Conference (MDC) was originally scheduled to take place in April 2020 in South Africa, but had to be postponed at short notice due to COVID. The event went ahead three years later, in Ottawa in October 2023, and now – five years on – is finally taking place in Cape Town, from 27-29 April, co-hosted by the South African Mint and with over 250 delegates from the minting industry taking part.

Coins Events

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

2 min read

Sharp Rise in Counterfeit Euro Coins

Last month we reported on the 2024 counterfeit figures for the euro. This month is the turn of coins, with figures from the European Commission detailing a sharp increase in the number of counterfeits in 2023 (the most recent year on which it has reported) to 480,371 – up 62% compared to 2022 and the highest level by far since the introduction of the euro in 2002.

Coins Counterfeiting

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

1 min read

Note and Coin News

The Bank of Namibia has issued a new N$60 commemorative polymer banknote, celebrating the life and legacy of the late President HE Dr Hage G Geingob, who served as the third president of Namibia from 2015 until his death in February 2024, aged 82.

Banknotes Coins

Astrid Mitchell

31 March 2025

3 min read

Strong Performances from Mints

In 2024 the Mint of Finland announced it was to close, and The Royal Mint announced its withdrawal from the export market. Both were seen as signs of an industry in decline, but perhaps benefiting from these development, the latest reports from two leading mints – those of Poland and France – tell a different and altogether more positive story.

Coins

Chander S Jeena

27 March 2025

3 min read

Style and Innovation Meet in Milan

The Intergraf Currency+Identity 2025 conference was held with style and innovation from 5-7 March in Milan, Italy. From the start, it promised more than just discussions, offering a creative and insightful take on the world of security printing to the 1,000+ delegates that took part.

Events

Antti Heinonen

24 March 2025

10 min read

Impacts of Recent Developments on the Cash Cycle: A Global Analysis

Even though innovations in digital payments have accelerated in recent decades, cash is the only payment option for a number of citizens in every country. Moreover, the great majority of people would like to keep cash as one of their payment options even in those countries where its share in transactions is already small. Cash is also used for precautionary reasons as well as a store of value and has a significant role in various crises and uncertainties.

Banknotes

Chander S Jeena

19 March 2025

5 min read

AGS Transact’s Downfall: A Cautionary Tale for India’s Fintech Industry

In the fast-changing world of financial technology, companies that once soared can just as quickly find themselves in free fall. AGS Transact Technologies, a prominent player in India's digital payments and cash management sector, is currently at the centre of a developing crisis that has sent shockwaves through the industry.

Companies

Francis Tuffy

18 March 2025

2 min read

Colour-Changing Smart Materials for Rapid Authentication

At the recent High Security Printing™ EMEA conference in Basel, Switzerland, Dr Alexander Brannan from the University of Manchester, and Gary Spinks of Security Fibres UK, presented advances in colour-changing smart materials designed for rapid authentication. This technology addresses key issues in anticounterfeiting by integrating academic research with industrial application.

Technology