polymer banknotes
New $50 Canadian Bills Enter Circulation This Week
The Bank of Canada will begin circulating its new $50 polymer banknote this week. The bill is the second in a series of new banknotes the Bank of Canada will introduce over the next two years. The first note, the $100 denomination, was released in November 2011. The new Canadian banknotes feature security devices such [...]
The Globe and Mail Investigates Canada’s Counterfeit History
As more and more Canadians find the new polymer $100 bill in their wallets and in their bank accounts – the Globe and Mail takes a look at the country’s recent history with counterfeiting. The first time counterfeiting hit the radar of the Bank of Canada in major way was in the 1980s. In an [...]
Bank of England Considers Polymer Notes
In an effort to make some of their banknotes more durable and counterfeit proof, the Bank of England is considering the introduction of polymer banknotes. The £5 banknote is the most likely candidate to be switched first as it is the lowest denomination and therefore the most frequently used, however the Bank has also said [...]
Nanaimo Stores See Influx of Counterfeit $100 Bills
Several months before the Bank of Canada introduces a new polymer $100 banknote into circulation, the town of Nanaimo, British Columbia is noticing an influx of fake $100 bills being used at local businesses. Modeled after the current cotton-paper blend banknote, the fakes have been making their way to gas stations, video stores, taxi companies [...]
New Zealand Plans Potential Banknote Overhaul
For the first time in over a decade, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand is planning on introducing a new series of banknotes. “In its annual statement of intent for 2011-2014, the bank said it would soon begin planning for a new series…which would include adding new security features to prevent counterfeiting,” Stuff.co.nz wrote last [...]
“Counterfeiting, A Three-Part Series.” Part 1: A history of counterfeiting
*This article is the first in a three-part series on counterfeiting. The act of counterfeiting is as old as money itself. Plaguing ancient Rome, empirical China, newborn America, and many other nations over the past 2500 years, the illegal activity came hand in hand with the creation of money. Even prior to the invention of [...]
ECB: Counterfeit euros up 8 per cent
The European Central Bank (ECB) announced today that the number of fake euro banknotes seized in the last six months rose by eight per cent from the first half of the year. “In the second half of 2009 a total of 447,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation,” an ECB statement said. Though the [...]
India to Begin Trial Period for Polymer Banknotes
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced this week that the country will begin a trial period of introducing polymer banknotes in circulation in order to eliminate the backlog of unusable worn banknotes throughout India and to combat counterfeiting. The RBI says that India has seen a 95 per cent increase in counterfeit notes in [...]
Royal Bank of India Lists Banknotes Security Features on its Website.
Ever wondered exactly what kind of security features are embedded in the cash you carry? If you live in India, you no longer have to wonder. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has posted a comprehensive list of security features on its Mahatma Gandhi Series banknotes on its website. The Gandhi Series has been in [...]
VIDEO: Polymer Banknotes Around the World
With the growth of digital printing and technology, counterfeiters can reproduce paper banknotes with little knowledge or experience, and more easily and quickly than ever before. Polymer banknotes are a deterrent to the counterfeiter, as they are much more difficult and time consuming to reproduce. They are more secure, cleaner and more durable than paper [...]
