Among existing features, the new Thai series will introduce a watermark depicting the portrait of a Thai King alongside denominational electrotype that is visible when held to the light; a windowed colour-shift security thread located on the back of the note that changes colour from dark blue to red when viewed from different angles; irregular shapes of a see-through register printed on the front and the back of the notes that combine to form the denomination numeral when the note is held to the light; raised printing of letters and numerals; and two tactile marks in the shape of flowers in dark blue representing the Braille number 5.

The design of the new series – known to the Bank of Thailand as Series 16 – depicts Thai kings from different periods throughout the country’s history. The 50-Baht note features the portrait of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

“The thinking behind the new look is to honor the Thai Kings of the Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Thonburi and Rattanakosin periods, to visually improve and update the banknotes, to develop counterfeit-protection measures and to assist blind people dealing with the banknotes,” Dr Prasarn Trairatvorakulm Governor of the Bank of Thailand, told the Phuket Gazette this week.

The 50-Baht note will be followed by the release of new 20, 100, 500 and 1,000-Baht notes. The Phuket Gazette reported that the entire series isn’t expected to be in circulation until the end of 2026.

The release of the new banknote series comes less than a week after politicians in Thailand’s opposition party warned the government not to force the central bank to cover the country’s public debt.

The Thai government had proposed shift the public debt of Bt1.14 trillion to the Bank of Thailand’s account, but critics said the move would lead to hyperinflation and a severe devaluation of the Thai currency.

SOURCES:
Thailand Business News: “The Bank Of Thailand Launches New Series of Banknotes”
Phuket Gazette: “New 50-Baht Banknote In Phuket By This Weekend”
The Nation: “Govnt Debt Policy Will Make Currency ‘Worthless’”

Electronic passports contain a small electronic chip – an RFID chip – embedded in the cover that contains key information about the passport carrier such as their name, gender, date of birth and a digital photograph of the carrier.

Some electronic passports contain biometric information as well and require digital confirmation of physical attributes such as fingerprints and iris patterns, though the new St. Kitts and Nevis passports will stick to basic information.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security said the new passports will not only expedite travel for citizens between the two Carribean islands, but will also help prevent fraud and identity theft.

“The new document to be issued by the Government of St Kitts and Nevis is more secured and designed with specific imbedded features intended to enhance the integrity of the new E Passport and will facilitate more seamless travel by citizens and residents of the Federation,” the ministry stated.

St. Kitts and Nevis is one of the first countries in the region to use electronic passports.

“We are proud to be once again be leading the way in ensuring that citizens of our twin-island Federation are given an added layer of protection whenever they travel,” Elvis Newton, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Homeland Security told SKN List. “The new passports do cost more, but we are confident that nationals will understand the added cost of producing these digital passports, and will appreciate the expedited processing at various ports where they travel, when compared to those persons who do not have upgraded passports.”

Non-electronic passports are still valid in the region, though anybody requesting a new passport as of this month will be issued an electronic passport.

SOURCES:
SKN List: “New Passports Offer Added Security Features”
Caribbean 360: “St. Kitts Begins Issuing Epassports”

Marred by what the European Commission deemed “fiscal and macroeconomic imbalances built up over the decade,” many financial analysts say the euro is in trouble. Countries such as Ireland, Spain and Italy have all been marked by high debt levels and threats of recession, particularly in the last three to four years.

As recently as this week, Greece announced it would be looking for bailout money to the tune of 130 billion euros. “The bail-out agreement needs to be signed,” said government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis told Greek television outlets. “Otherwise, we will be out of the markets, out of the euro.”

However, if countries such as Greece attempt to discard the euro and return to their original national currency, this is not a process that can take place overnight. In fact, experts in the banknote industry say it will take a minimum of one year before any particular countries can revert to another currency.

Before banknotes can be processed, they have to be designed, developed and equipped with security features to prevent counterfeiting. These elements must be assembled before being shipped to the paper maker, which can take three to four months. After that, the notes are sent to the security printer who must undergo at least six to eight different processes to get the notes ready for circulation.

“When we look at the eurozone it is very challenging to contemplate the logistics behind that,” Chad Wasilenkoff, CEO of Fortress Paper – a company that manufactures banknotes – told BNN in December. “It could be easier if one country such as Greece were to fall off, but if the whole thing were to come crumbling down it’s just not logistically possible.”

Despite the length, an article published by RT.com last month said central banks throughout Europe are preparing contingency plans evaluating their needs for additional printing capacity should the euro come to an end.

SOURCES:
The Malta Independent: “Little To Celebrate As Eurozone Marks 10-Year Anniversary”
RT.com: “Highway To Hell? Greece Barrels Toward Euro Exit”
RT.com: “Plan B: Printing Presses on Standby To Beat Euro’s Demise”
The Globe and Mail: “Video: Can Printing New Currencies Keep Euro Zone United?”

The bogus bills were being produced in an apartment mostly with an inkjet printer. When the RCMP arrived to raid the apartment, the process of manufacturing the bills was not yet completed, said Sgt. Tony Farahbakhchian or the E Division Federal Commercial Crime Section.

“He didn’t quite have the finished product yet,” he said.

According to The Province, the bills had been printed three to a sheet on one side only and a watermark and puzzle number were missing. Security features such as security threads, foil strips and holographic stickers had also not been added.

Farahbakhchian told The Province that the quality of the notes varied, but overall they were average reproductions.

He also urged the public to pay close attention to their banknotes and to be aware of the security features, especially during the holiday season when counterfeit money can be easier to spread due to busy stores and the amount of money being exchanged.

Though the Bank of Canada introduced a new, more secure, polymer $100 bill in November, these fakes were modeled after the old series, which is still in active circulation.

Trevor Frers, from the Bank of Canada, applauded the raid.

“For the RCMP to seize over $1 million in counterfeit notes before they enter circulation, that’s a huge victory against counterfeiting,” Frers said.

According to RCMP, The Province reports, the overall passing of counterfeit bank notes has decreased since 2004 due to upgraded security features. The new polymer $100 note is expected to reduce counterfeiting even more and increase durability.

SOURCE:
The Province: “Cops Seize $1 Million In Fake Bills”

Wasilenkoff said that even though countries may pull out of the eurozone and revert back to their old currency, that process is lengthy and cannot happen overnight.

“Typically a national bank will take anywhere from three to four years to develop a new currency to be able to push it out into circulation in a normalized fashion,” he said Tuesday.

Before banknotes can be processed, they have to be designed, developed and equipped with security features to prevent counterfeiting. These elements must be assembled before being shipped to the paper maker, which can take three to four months. After that, the notes are sent to the security printer who must undergo at least six to eight different processes to get the notes ready for circulation.

Even in the case of a crisis, the minimum time frame to introduce new banknotes into circulation is close to a year. This is the biggest challenge countries face with regards to re-introducing country-based banknotes as opposed to the multi-country unified currency of the euro, said Wasilenkoff.

“When we look at the eurozone it is very challenging to contemplate the logistics behind that,” he said. “It could be easier if one country such as Greece were to fall off, but if the whole thing were to come crumbling down it’s just not logistically possible.”

Currently in the eurozone there is close to 15 billion individual euro banknotes in circulation right now, valued at nearly 875 billion. This represents about 30% of the total global supply of banknotes, Wasilenkoff said.

Watch the whole video HERE.

SOURCE:
The Globe and Mail: “Video: Can Printing New Currencies Keep Euro Zone United”

That price tag reflects the modifications that will need to be made to sorting and counting machines that are used across the country to handle money, says Julie Girard, spokeswoman for the Bank of Canada.

“In Canada, we have 500,000 machines that accept, dispense or sort bank notes,” Girard said, adding that includes about 75,000 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).

The new bills are drastically different than the old cotton-paper notes that are still in circulation. The new series is made of polymer, a plastic substrate, and is equipped with multiple new security features such as a transparent window embedded with a metallic image, in an effort to curb counterfeiting.

Polymer is more durable – 2.5 times (seven years) longer than its cotton-paper counterpart – and weight approximately ten per cent less than the current bills.

In November, business leaders throughout the country criticized the new notes precisely because of the cost they would incur. Ted Bronsan, president of John Poulet Cheque Writer Service, said the new security features would pose some problems for small businesses.

“Probably 99 per cent of the market uses money counters with optics,” Brosnan explained to CTV.

However, Girard says the benefits of the new notes outweight the problems – and the costs – that these businesses will see, noting that this is a short-term problem with long term remunerations.

“We knew the transition was going to be a little more involved with polymer but the security and all the benefits were really important,” she said. “Polymer is what makes those benefits possible.”

The new $100 bill, the first in the polymer series, was released in November. The next bill in the new series to be released will be the $50 bill and will enter into circulation in March 2012. The other denominations in the series, the $20, $10 and $5 bills, will all be in circulation by the end of 2013.

SOURCES:
UPI: “New Canadian Banknotes Cost Banks $100M”
CTV: “Polymer Bills Could Cause Businesses Headaches”

The first time counterfeiting hit the radar of the Bank of Canada in major way was in the 1980s. In an effort to combat the up-and-coming technology of colour photocopying, the bank introduced a new series of banknotes with finer detail and new security features.

“Fine details in the face and hair of the Queen and former Prime Ministers depicted on the bills were too finicky for photocopiers to handle and appeared fuzzy in reproductions. A shiny gold metallic patch placed on each bill turned dark when replicated, further thwarting the forgers,” Globe & Mail writer Grant Robertson writes.

As technology advanced, Canada’s currency did not. Home computers became more affordable, graphics software was readily available, scanners were commonplace and ink-jet printers became the default for many households. Counterfeiting suddenly became easier than ever.

By the late 1990s, “the number of fake Canadian bills rose as high as 117 parts per million (PPM). Most G20 nations used 50 PPM as their benchmark to stay below,” says the Globe and Mail.

In 2002, 16 years after their last series was issued, the Bank of Canada introduced a new series to thwart the “computer-savvy do-it-yourself counterfeiter.”

Again, new security features were added to the note to ensure it would prevent forgeries. In particular, the new series featured a shiny holographic stripe down one side of the bill that shimmered in the light as well a watermark that appeared hidden but showed up when held to the light.

Four years later, in 2004, counterfeiters were learning to replicate the holographic stripe setting in motion the need to create a new series. In an attempt to create a product that was not only more secure but also a product that was more durable. For banks, the cost of producing new banknotes to replace damaged or used notes can be expensive. Polymer notes are typically two and half times more durable, according to the Bank of Canada.

In November, the Bank introduced the first polymer banknote in a developing series – a new $100 bill that contains several state of the art security features such as raised ink, a large transparent window that also contains a colour-shifting metallic portrait, hidden numbers in the transparent window that match the note’s denomination, transparent text, a frosted maple leaf window that also contains hidden numbers, among others.

Developing new banknotes in a timely fashion is one way for banks to stay ahead of counterfeiters.

“Counterfeiting rates have fallen steadily in Canada in recent years,” says the Globe and Mail. “The country now reports a parts-per-million ratio of below 40, which is finally in line with what most G20 nations consider acceptable.”

To read the full Globe and Mail feature, click HERE.

SOURCE:
The Globe & Mail: “Funny money: How counterfeiting led to a major overhaul of Canada’s money

Officials from the UAE Central Bank say that the new banknote was necessary not only to stay on top of counterfeit efforts in the region but also to meet the demand of a growing population.

“The Central Bank’s move reflects that there has been a considerable growth in the domestic economy and the money in circulation is getting enlarged. It seems the people, businessmen and the economy as a whole feel the need to use larger bills that show their increased purchasing power and increased number of financial transaction,” Dr Mohammad Amerah, an Abu Dhabi-based economist, told Gulf News.

“The new security features on the note will curb counterfeiting,” Amerah added.

Included among these new security features is a see-through window on the front of the bill and an optically variable stripe showing the national emblem, falcon head and denomination value that changes colour depending on the angle.

In addition to these features, the silver thread once found on the back of the Dh500 note has been replaced with a broader window that reads “UAE 500” that changes colour depending on the angle, and the metallic ink around the UAE emblem on the front of the old bill will be replaced with multi-colour ink and a multi-colour hidden image will be featured on the bottom left side of the bill.

The dirham was put into circulation on May 19, 1973 and the current Dh500 note was issued in 1982, meaning that this is the first new Dh500 design in almost thirty years.

The new banknote will enter into circulation on Tuesday, November 29. Banks will continue to receive the old banknotes according to the Central Bank’s regular procedures.

SOURCES:
Gulf News: “Central Bank Introduces New Dh500 Note”
The National: “New Dh500 Banknote Coming Into Circulation This Week”

A big selling point for polymer is increased durability. According to the Bank of Canada, the new polymer banknotes will last 2.5 times longer than its cotton-paper counterparts. That means the life span of a $20 bill – Canada’s most widely circulated denomination – is expected to reach at least seven years.

Being more durable means reducing costs. The less currency a central bank has to produce to replace damaged bills, the less they have to spend in the long run.

Using plastic bills also ensure a certain degree of environmental responsibility as well according to Stane Straus, a polymer researcher.

“Many of these [paper notes] are actually made of cotton – US paper bills cotton are 75% cotton, which takes large amounts of pesticides and water to produce,” he told BBC News.

In contrast to paper notes, plastic notes are recyclable at the end of their lifetime.

Due to their plastic make-up, polymer banknotes remain cleaner and last longer in the face of hot temperatures. For this reason, they are often produced in countries with hot climates.

“The tropical climate is a challenging environment for banknotes, especially because of high humidity and high temperatures,” Straus said. “This causes paper notes to absorb moisture, thus becoming dirty and limp quickly. Polymer notes, on the other hand, do not absorb moisture. You could say that polymer notes beat paper notes in terms of cleanliness and durability in all climates, but this particular advantage of polymer notes stands out even more in tropical climates.”

Of course, the main advantage of polymer banknotes is security. Polymer notes are considered by the industry to me more secure therefore less likely to be counterfeited.

Canada’s new $100 contains several state of the art security features such as raised ink, a large transparent window that also contains a colour-shifting metallic portrait, hidden numbers in the transparent window that match the note’s denomination, transparent text, a frosted maple leaf window that also contains hidden numbers, among others.

SOURCE:
BBC News: “Who, What Why: Why Don’t More Countries Use Plastic Banknotes?”

The problem with the new $100 banknotes lies in its design, according to Ted Brosnan, president of John Poulet Cheque Writer Service. The see-through security features could lead to problems with currency counters, he said.

“Probably 99 per cent of the market uses money counters with optics,” Brosnan explained to

Julie Girard, Bank of Canada’s spokesperson, said this is a problem the national bank planned for leading up to the release of the new banknote series, but insisted that the benefits of the new notes outweighed the problems.

“We knew the transition was going to be a little more involved with polymer but the security and all the benefits were really important,” she said. “Polymer is what makes those benefits possible.”

The polymer substrate used to manufacture the new banknotes means the latest series will last up to 2.5 times longer than previous cotton-based notes. Polymer also allows for high-tech security features – such as the see through panels on the new $100 note – to be embedded in an attempt to thwart
counterfeiting.

The next bill in the new series to be released will be the $50 bill and will enter into circulation in March 2012. The other denominations in the series, the $20, $10 and $5 bills, will all be in circulation by the end of 2013.

SOURCE:
CTV: “Polymer Bills Could Cause Businesses Headaches”