Regional Banknote and ID Document of the Year Awards 

New Bahamian Banknote Series

In October 2021, the Central Bank of the Bahamas released its new $100 banknote, completing the roll-out of its CRISP (Counterfeit Resistant Integrated Security Product) Evolution series which it began back in 2016.

The new series is – as the name suggests – an evolution of the original CRISP series first introduced in 2005, and is remarkable both for incorporating a broad cross-section of substrates, printers (including Orell Füssli, Crane Currency, De La Rue, Giesecke+Devrient and Canadian Bank Note) and features, and for its introduction of multiple firsts for feature-substrate pairings.

In total, the family comprises eight notes – ranging from from $½ to $100 notes.

The $1 and $5 were printed on Louisenthal’s Hybrid composite substrate with a RolllingStar thread.

The paper $20 was produced by De La Rue and features its Active thread. This made its debut on the new $10, issued in 2016, albeit that this was subsequently replaced by a note from Crane Currency with a RAPID Detect 4mm micro-optic security thread.

The $50 was produced on Landqart’s Durasafe substrate, and includes a MOTION RAPID thread from Crane. Not only was this the first note in the world to integrate the micro-optics feature into the composite substrate, but the window itself (at 33mm) is the longest to appear in a circulating note.

The eighth and final banknote of the new series – the $100 – was printed by the Canadian Bank Note Company on Durasafe substrate. It features a MOTION Surface stripe from Crane, another first for the combination of the two technologies.

New ECCB Banknote Series

In March 2021, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) issued its new $5 polymer banknote, completing the transition of the Eastern Caribbean dollar to De La Rue’s SAFEGUARD polymer that began in 2019. According to the ECCB, the reasons for the transition were threefold – the environment, cost, and security.

The banknotes are denominated in 5, 10, 20 50 and 100 dollars, and key to the ECCB’s decision to switch to polymer was the environment, according to its Governor, Timothy Antoine. The Caribbean is one of the lowest emitters of carbon dioxide in the world, he said, but one of the regions most impacted by global warming. The islands have a target of being net zero by 2022 and are well on the way to achieving this goal. The longer lifespan and lower environmental impact of polymer is part of this focus, as well as demonstrating moral authority and taking action on global warming.

The switch will also save on costs and allowed for the incorporation of advanced new security features.

The notes have been changed to a vertical orientation but remain the same size and dimensions – all uniform regardless of denomination. The colour scheme of the previous series has also been retained to aid public recognition and acceptance of the new notes, as have many of the design features, albeit that they have a much fresher and more modern appearance, helped by the portrait orientation.

They also incorporate a unique tactile emboss feature to aid recognition by the blind and visually impaired.

Mexican 50 & 100 Pesos

The winner of the Best New Banknote was the Banco de México for not one but two notes – the new 50 and 100 pesos. The former – the sixth and final note in the new G series, was issued last November. It is produced on CCL Secure’s GUARDIAN polymer, along with the 100 pesos, issued the previous year, and the 20 pesos, also issued in 2021, which is a commemorative note celebrating the country’s bicentennial.

The design theme throughout the new series is events, buildings or people reflecting key stages in Mexican history on the front, and images reflecting the country’s eco-heritage and biodiversity on the reverse.

Both the 50 and the 100 are in a vertical orientation, front and back. Each incorporates a large complex transparent window that feature G-SWITCH and METALIX inks. The former changes colour from blue to gold when tilted. The latter is copper-coloured. They also incorporate an integrated magnetic thread and SPARK Live denoting the denomination numeral.

Guatemala 20 quetzales

Guatemala 20 quetzales, which is the first ever commemorative note to be issued by the Bank of Guatemala.

The note is vertically oriented on the front with themes relating to the country’s independence, and in a landscape format on the back, with a quetzal bird (after which the currency is named, and which appears on all the country’s notes).

The main overt security feature is a 5mm wide Galaxy thread with a double effect. When tilted horizontally, the thread displays an animation with a circle, embodying the number 20, moving up and down. But if the note is used in vertical format, ie. the same as the print orientation, it flips image from 20 to a quill. In both orientations it features colour shift from magenta-to-green.

This note was also produced by Giesecke+Devrient, and the thread and paper by Louisenthal.

Honduras 200 lempira

One is the 200 lempira commemorative note issued last September by the Central Bank of Honduras (albeit that this is a new denomination, so it has become de facto a circulation note).

Honduras is known for its rich biodiversity and natural resources, which is reflected on the reverse of the note, showing two scarlet macaws (the national bird) flying over the UNESCO-listed Río Plátano Biosphere. The main image on the front of the note of children reading denotes the importance of education, which is seen one of the one of the fundamental pillars for the development of the nation

The 200 lempira note is the first in the world to feature a registered Galaxy thread with different and precisely positioned windows. When tilting the banknote, a change can be observed in the upper and lower windows from a bell, to 200, and vice versa. The middle window incorporates an image of a parchment and quill, and all three windows contain a dynamic circle that seems to move beneath the surface. Between the windows, the letters BCH can be viewed in transmission. The green-to-azure colour shift matches that of the SPARK feature.

The note was produced by Giesecke+Devrient and thread and paper by Louisenthal.