November 2007

THE BANK OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA ISSUES REDESIGNED 20 KINA

The Bank of Papua New Guinea launched the 20 Kina notes on Friday 2nd November at the Parliament House.  The launch of the new 20 Kina was timed to coincide with their 34th birthday.  Papua New Guinea became the second country outside of Australia to move into using polymer for banknotes, through the introduction of the Commemorative South Pacific Games K2.00 banknote in 1991.

Bank of Papua New Guinea Governor L. Wilson Kamit noted the polymer notes were more durable and lasted longer.  Banknotes in paper form could only last for at least four months from introduction to public before it is withdrawn from circulation for destruction. 

The main design elements on the front of the new 20 Kina banknotes are the Parliament House and the National Crest of PNG, which is a stylised Bird of Paradise sitting on a Kundu (drum) and a spear; on the back depicts a head of a boar, a toea arm band from Central province and traditional necklace.

Substrate features included in the note:

WinTHRU® – incorporating a vignette of the Bank of Papua New Guinea logo.
SHAD H2O Switch® - of the Bank of Papua New Guinea logo
G-switch® – changes colour from Gold to Red
WinBOSS™ – the numeral ‘20’ is embossed in the secondary clear window.
IRIswitch™ – Bird of Paradise in full flight on the back

The new K20 became legal tender on Monday, 5 November 2007 and will circulate with the existing K20 notes until they are phased out over time.

August 2007

BANK OF GUATEMALA ISSUES NEW 1 QUETZAL POLYMER BANKNOTE

The Bank of Guatemala issued the new 1 Quetzal polymer banknote on 20th August, 2007 making Guatemala the 26th country to have issued polymer.

The 1 Quetzel banknote was issued on Guardian® polymer substrate due to its durability and increased security.
  
The 1 Quetzel maintains the basic design of the last banknote issued, with the portrait of José María Orellana on the front and the building of the Bank of Guatemala on the back. 

Substrate features included in the note:

- WinTHRU®  
- SHAD H2O Switch®
- WinBoss™

1 Quetzal = USD 0.13

August 2007

BANK OF MEXICO ISSUES REDESIGNED 20 PESOS

The Bank of Mexico issued a new redesigned 20 pesos polymer banknote on 20th August, 2007.  This is part of the issuance program for the new banknote series which was announced on the 26th of September 2006.

The predominant colour of the banknote is blue and the dimensions are 66mm by 120mm.  The design on the front of the banknote has a portrait of Don Benito Juarez Garcia and the back of the note depicts an engraving of the Monte Alban, Oaxaca archeological zone. 

Substrate features included in the note:

- WinTHRU®
- SHAD H2O Switch®
- G-switch® - Gold to Red
- WinBoss™
- MAGread™

June 2007

JOINT LAUNCH OF $20 POLYMER BANKNOTES FOR BRUNEI AND SINGAPORE

On the 27th June 2007, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore jointly launched the new $20 polymer notes of each country on the 40th Anniversary of the Currency Interchangeability Agreement to mark this occasion.
  
Both countries will issue commemorative notes which will be sold in a set comprising a $20 polymer note of each country. Each set will consist of one piece of B$20 and one piece of S$20 with matching serial numbers, adding up to a total face value of $40 signifying the 40th Anniversary. $20 circulation banknotes will also be issued by both countries and will commence on the 16th July 2007.

As this is a joint issue by Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, the $20 notes will have common predominant orange colour and common back design.

In regards to the front designs, both countries have retained the respective front designs currently in use by each country.

The security features on the $20 polymer notes are:
Brunei $20 polymer note:

• WinTHRU®; - One see-through window with the crest of Brunei Darussalam printed in red at the centre of the window.
• SHAD H2O Switch®; - Shadow image of His Majesty’s portrait and initials “HB” is clearly visible with transmitted light.
• The asymmetrical serial numbering style has progressively larger digitals in adjacent positions. One set of the serial numbers appears horizontally, the other vertically.
• Widespread use of intaglio (raised ink) printing on His Majesty’s portrait, the flowers, surrounding texts and other areas gives the note an embossed feel.
• GOLDswitch™ - The numeral “20” is printed on the gold patch in transparent raised printing and will appear at varying angles.
• G-Switch®; - colour will change from green to gold at varying angles.

Singapore $20 polymer note:

• WinTHRU®;
• SHAD H2O Switch®; - Shadow image of President Yusof bin Ishak is clearly visible with transmitted light.
• TIED®; - A stylised gold Singapore Lion symbol with a hidden image, beside the top-left hand window. An image of the Singapore Arms will appear at varying angles.
• MAGread™ - The security thread in the shape of the Singapore island.
• WinBoss™ - Clear window embossed with the numeral “20”. At the top and bottom of the window is a repetitive pattern of the numeral “20”.
• G-Switch®; – colour will change from red to gold at varying angles.

June 2007

THE BRUNEI CURRENCY AND MONETARY BOARD ISSUES THE NEW $1,000 POLYMER BANKNOTE

The Brunei Currency and Monetary Board issued new $1,000 polymer banknotes for circulation on 21st of June 2007.

According to Pg Hj Hashim Pg Hj Mohd Jadid, General Manager of Mint, Gallery and Marketing at the Brunei Currency and Monetary Board, the newly released B$1,000 is the last of the three denominations issued for circulation in conjunction with His Majesty's 60th birthday last year. The other two denominations that were issued are the B$10,000 and B$500 notes.

The security features included on the new polymer $1,000 banknote are:

• WinTHRU®;
• WinDOE®; - initial HB1K
• ICE®; - the crest of Brunei Darussalam is printed in vibrant red ink in a gold patch
• SHAD H2O Switch®; - shadow image of His Majesty's portrait and initial "HB"
• G-Switch®;
• GOLDswitch™- the numeral 1,000 printed on a gold patch on the reverse of the banknote
• Serial numbers which are printed both vertically and horizontally in fonts of varying sizes.

The new $1,000 note has a picture of the Ministry of Finance's building printed on the back of the note.

These new polymer banknotes will circulate side by side with the present B$1,000 paper banknotes. Both will remain legal tender in Brunei Darussalam and in countries that accept them.

May 2007

THE MONETARY AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE ISSUED THE NEW $5 POLYMER BANKNOTE

On the 18 May 2007 the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued the new $5 polymer notes. This is the third denomination in the Portrait Series to be converted from paper to polymer. The $5 polymer notes will circulate alongside the $5 paper notes, which will remain legal tender.

Mrs Foo-Yap Siew Hong, Assistant Managing Director said, “Polymer notes are cleaner and last longer than paper notes. MAS received favourable feedback from the public, banks and retailers on the $10 and $2 polymer notes introduced earlier. As such, we decided to proceed with issuing $5 polymer notes.”

The similarities with the $5 polymer and paper notes are:

• Portrait of Singapore’s first President, the late Encik Yusof bin Ishak, on the front, and images of the Garden City theme at the back.
• Same colour (predominantly green).
• Same size (133 mm x 66 mm).

The security features unique to polymer technology included on the $5 polymer notes are WinTHRU®;, GOLDswitch™, SHAD H2O Switch®; and WinBoss™.

April 2007

THE BANK OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA iSSUES THE NEW REDESIGNED 2 KINA POLYMER BANKNOTE

The 19th April 2007 marked the 32nd Anniversary of the Kina and Toea and to commemorate the event, the Governor of the Bank of Papua New Guinea Mr. L. Wilson Kamit, announced the introduction of the new series of 2 Kina banknote.

The design on the front of the note has a reduced size of the Papua New Guinea National Crest which is a stylised Bird of Paradise sitting on a Kundu (drum) and a Spear, and Parliament House symbolizing nationhood and unity.  The design on the back of the banknote retains all the features of the old K2 note.

The size of the banknote is 70 x 140mm and consists of a mixture of colours from green and blue with patches of gold.

The note is printed on polymer and bears the following advanced security features to protect the note from counterfeiting:-

• WinTHRU®;- incorporating a vignette of the Bank of Papua New Guinea
• SHAD H2O Switch®; - shadow image of the Bank of Papua New Guinea logo, which is visible when raised to the light. 
• G-Switch®; – G-Switch on the front and back of the note in a dynamic optical feature that changes colour when tilted under a light source
• WinBoss™ - the numerical "r” is embossed in the secondary clear window
• Offset - complex security patterns in multiple rainbow print
• Intaglio - raised keyline intaglio print on the front of the banknote
• IRIswitch™ - iridescent Bird of Paradise in full flight is applied on the back of the note providing a change of colour with orientation
• Serial Numbers - black serial numbers that fluoresce under ultra violet light

The new 2 Kina banknote will become legal tender and will circulate with the old K2 banknote, which will be gradually withdrawn from circulation.

April 2007

COUNTERFEIT NOTES DETECTED VIA BANKING SYSTEM REDUCES DRAMATICALLY

According to the State Bank of Vietnam, total counterfeit notes detected via the banking system and state treasuries within the first two months of 2007 was reduced approximately of 39% in comparison to the same period last year.

Vault and Issue Department (State Bank of Vietnam) has told counterfeit notes detected via banking system and state treasuries was constantly reduced since 2005 and showed a downward tendency, it was particularly reduced during the first two months of this year. Number of counterfeit notes was seized (per pieces) during this period is equal 61.23% only in comparison to the first two months of 2006.

Counterfeit cotton notes were seized and kept via banking system and state treasuries are basically 100,000 VND and 20,000 VND. According to the State Bank of Vietnam, regarding polymer banknotes, except from 10,000 VND and 20,000 VND, other denominations from 50,000 VND and above have been counterfeited.

S.L.

Source: www.vnexpress.net

Dated: 26 March 2007

March 2007

HONG KONG MONETARY AUTHORITY LAUNCH $10 POLYMER NOTE

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) at a media conference (12 March) announced the approval to issue for trial a $10 polymer note, which is cleaner, more durable, secure and environmentally-friendly, in the middle of this year to circulate alongside the existing $10 paper notes and coins, both of which will remain legal tender.

As stated by Financial Secretary Henry Tang the move aims to find out whether polymer notes are suitable for issue in Hong Kong and whether the community will accept them.

Substrate features included in the note:

• WinTHRU®; (complex window) – a see through window with the numeral 10.
• IRIswitch™ –a blue iridescent band showing images of the bauhinia flower and “HK10” when the note is tilted.
• SHAD H2O Switch®;- A shadow image of the bauhinia flower integrated into the complex window and a shadow image of the numeral 10.
• G-switch®;– the colour of the ribbon on the complex window changes between pink and purple.

A further public announcement will be made nearer to the time when the first notes will be issued.

The $10 will be the first Hong Kong note to be issued on polymer making Hong Kong the 25th country to have issued polymer.