“Banknotes Are a Part of Modern Life”

“Banknotes are an integral part of modern life,” said Ralf Wintergerst, Member of the G&D Management Board and Group Executive Banknote. “We need cash just as much as we need digital or mobile payment methods. We need both pillars in order to make sure that our currency system is stable. And security is the number one issue in both areas. After all, people will only trust means of payment when they know that they are secure. Innovation and technological advances are the key to guaranteeing this security. G&D is investing in precisely this combination: innovation and technology for the security of payment systems, cash, and the cash cycle and will once again display corresponding solutions at the Banknote Conference .”

G&D will be showcasing new banknote concepts and security features, which are based on intuitive perception and, according to Dr. Wolfram Seidemann, CEO, Louisenthal, “thereby engender trust.” The combination of micromirror and ColourShift technology creates new optically variable effects that can be integrated or applied in high-security substrates. Even inexperienced observers will notice the dynamic color shifts and movement effects caused when the banknote is tilted, no matter how poor the lighting is. With the registered security thread “Registered RollingStar^®,” every thread window has its own content. RollingStar^® LEAD allows new effects and designs to be used on security laminating film, thus achieving a higher level of anti-counterfeiting security. This is enhanced by covert security features, such as magnetism or electrical conductivity, that can only be detected by a processing system. Alternatively, features that are only visible in UV or polarized light are also used.

“Banknotes are the safest means of payment in the world,” explains Seidemann. “According to the European Central Bank’s last study into the security of the euro, for example, banknotes are 99.9975% secure. These days, the challenge in designing new series of banknotes is in meeting the public’s requirements as well as those of professional participants in the cash cycle. The design has to reconcile the aesthetics and functionality of banknotes and, at the same time, ensure that they function properly in the cash cycle. Security features therefore have to be harmonized with one another as much as possible, while also guaranteeing simple authentication and the best machine readability. With ‘Galaxy^®’, our new high-security thread, we are taking this into a new dimension.”

In addition, G&D is competing for an IACA Award in the category of “Best New Currency Innovation” with its IT security solution for processing cash. The solution supports Industry 4.0 with high-end security functions that allow for secure machine servicing and maintenance management for production infrastructure both now and in the future.