Полимерные банкноты: история, производство и распространение

Banknotes made from synthetic polymer

Polymer banknotes are banknotes made from a synthetic polymer such as biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP). Such notes incorporate many security features not available in paper banknotes, including the use of metameric inks. Polymer banknotes last significantly longer than paper notes, causing a decrease in environmental impact and a reduced cost of production and replacement. Modern polymer banknotes were first developed by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and The University of Melbourne. They were first issued as currency in Australia during 1988 (coinciding with Australia's bicentennial year); by 1996, the Australian dollar was switched completely to polymer banknotes. Romania was the first country in Europe to issue a plastic note in 1999 and became the third country after Australia and New Zealand to fully convert to polymer by 2003. Other currencies that have been switched completely to polymer banknotes include: the Vietnamese đồng (2006) although this is only applied to banknotes with denominations above 5,000 đồng, the Brunei dollar (2006), the Nigerian Naira (2007), the Papua New Guinean kina (2008), the Canadian dollar (2013), the Maldivian rufiyaa (2017), the Mauritanian ouguiya (2017), the Nicaraguan córdoba (2017), the Vanuatu vatu (2017), the Eastern Caribbean dollar (2019), the pound sterling (2021) and the Barbadian dollar (2022). Several countries and regions have now introduced polymer banknotes into commemorative or general circulation, including: Nigeria, Cape Verde, Chile, The Gambia, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Botswana, São Tomé and Príncipe, North Macedonia, Russia, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Morocco, Albania, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Israel, China, Taiwan, Kuwait, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Isle of Man, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Libya, Mauritius, Costa Rica, Honduras, Angola, Namibia, Lebanon, the Philippines, and Egypt.

In the 1980s, Canadian engineering company AGRA Vadeko and US chemical company US Mobil Chemical Company developed a polymer substrate trademarked as DuraNote. It had been tested by the Bank of Canada in the 1980s and 1990s; test C$ 20 and C$ 50 banknotes were auctioned in October 2012. It was also tested by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing of the United States Department of the Treasury in 1997 and 1998, when 40,000 test banknotes were printed and evaluated; and was evaluated by the central banks of 28 countries.

Modern polymer banknotes were first developed by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation or CSIRO and first issued as currency in Australia during 1988, to coincide with Australia's bicentennial year. In August 2012, Nigeria's Central Bank attempted the switch back from polymer to paper banknotes, saying there were "significant difficulties associated with the processing and destruction of the polymer banknotes" which had "constrained the realisation of the benefits expected from polymer banknotes over paper notes". However, President Goodluck Jonathan halted the process in September 2012. The polymer notes in the Republic of Mauritius are available in values of , , and The Fiji was issued in April 2013. In the United Kingdom, the first polymer banknotes were issued by the Northern Bank in Northern Ireland in 2000; these were a special commemorative issue bearing an image of the Space Shuttle. In March 2015, the Clydesdale Bank in Scotland began to issue polymer Sterling £5 notes marking the 125th anniversary of the building of the Forth Bridge. These were the first polymer notes to enter general circulation in the UK. The Royal Bank of Scotland followed in 2016 with a new issue of plastic £5 notes illustrated with a picture of author Nan Shepherd. In September 2016, the Bank of England began to issue £5 polymer notes with a picture of Winston Churchill; and in 2017 a polymer £10 began replacing its paper equivalent, featuring a picture of the author Jane Austen. A polymer £20 was issued in 2020 with a picture of J. M. W. Turner, and the £50 note was released in 2021, featuring Alan Turing. Although the polymer Bank of England notes are 15% smaller than the older, paper issue, they bear a similar design. Some businesses operating in the UK cash industry have opposed the switch to polymer, citing a lack of research into the cost impact of its introduction. In December 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the Bank of England unveiled the design of a new series of banknotes featuring King Charles III. The rest of the design, however, is unchanged, with the exception of a slight alteration in colour. In the Philippines, it was proposed in 2009 to shift to the usage of polymer for Philippine peso banknotes. This did not push through due to concern the shift would have over the impact to country's abaca industry. The proposal was revived in 2021 during the COVID 19 pandemic since the polymer banknotes can be sanitized with less damage compared to paper banknotes, as well as other reasons such as durability, lesser average issue cost, and lesser susceptibility to counterfeiting. In April 2022, The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas officially released the 1000 peso bill polymer bank note into circulation. + Timeline of adoptions and withdrawals of polymer banknotes Country Date of first introduction Notes N/A early 1980s An alternative polymer of polyethylene fibres marketed as Tyvek by DuPont was developed for use as currency by the American Bank Note Company in the early 1980s. 1982 Haiti released Tyvek made Gourde banknotes in denominations of 1, 2, 50, 100, 250 & 500. The same denominations and a 5 Gourdes banknote were also released on paper. 1983 Costa Rica issued a 20 Colones Tyvek banknote. 1983 The Isle of Man issued a 1 Pound banknote, this time called Bradvek and printed by Bradbury Wilkinson. N/A Late 1980s Tyvek did not perform well in trials; smudging of ink and fragility were reported as problems, so production of Tyvek banknotes was discontinued. Australia introduced the ten dollar note to celebrate its bicentennial. This was the world's first true polymer banknote. 1990 Singapore issued a in polymer substrate to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Independence. 1991 Papua New Guinea issued its first 2 Kinas banknote in polymer substrate to commemorate the 9th South Pacific Games held in the country. 1993 Indonesia issued a commemorative banknote in conjunction with the 25 Years of Development by President Soeharto which is the first polymer banknote issued by Bank Indonesia. But polymer banknotes are never issued again in the later series. 1996 Brunei introduced its first polymer banknotes in denominations of 1, 5, 10 dollars. 4 February 1998 Sri Lanka issued a commemorative banknote in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of Independence which is so far the only polymer banknote issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. 1996 Australia had converted all of its denominations into polymer banknotes and became the first country in the world to do so. 18 August 1997 Thailand issued its first polymer banknote, a 50 Baht denomination. On 1 October 2004 it was replaced by a redesigned version printed on paper. 1998 Malaysia issued a commemorative banknote in conjunction with the XVI Commonwealth Games, the first polymer banknote ever issued by Bank Negara Malaysia. May 1999 New Zealand converted all of its banknotes into polymer banknotes. June 1999 Taiwan issued its first polymer banknote (NT$50) to commemorate 50 years of the New Taiwan dollar's issuance. August 1999 In celebration of the total solar eclipse of August 11, 1999, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) decided to issue a commemorative two thousand Romanian lei banknote. Since it was the last eclipse of the millennium, the denomination was chosen to be 2000 in respect to the upcoming year. These notes were issued as legal tender. 1 November 1999 Bank Indonesia introduced a polymer banknote in circulation, the first banknote of such value to be issued. April 2000 Brazil introduced a R$10 polymer banknote as a special edition issue commemorating the country's 500th anniversary. January 2001 Bangladesh introduced the 10 taka polymer banknote, originally they were due to be issued on Victory day, a day big for Bangladeshis, but were delayed. February 2002 The Kingdom of Nepal introduced a commemorative 10 rupees polymer banknote, on the occasion of King Gyanendra's accession to the Nepalese throne after the Nepalese royal massacre. It was rendered obsolete when the Kingdom fell and was replaced by 2008. September 2002 Mexico switched the 20 peso denomination from paper to polymer banknotes. and they issued a 100 peso with vertical design polymer banknote in 2020. 2003 Romania converted all of its denominations of the leu to polymer, becoming the first European country to do so. December 2003 Vietnam adopted polymer banknote in denominations of 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, 200,000 and 500,000 đồng for general circulation. October 2004 Bank Negara Malaysia introduces a 5 ringgit polymer banknote into circulation, with the same design as the paper version. This was the first non commemorative polymer banknote to be issued. Both polymer and paper versions were in circulation concurrently. November 2004 Bank Indonesia switched its Rp100,000 polymer banknote into a paper banknote with a different design than the polymer version. July 2005 Romania redenominated the leu, removing four zeroes and issuing a series of new denominations in polymer. 2006 Two more new polymer notes issued in 2006, for 20 pesos (new design) and the 50 pesos and they issued a 100 peso with vertical design polymer banknote in 2020. 2006 Brunei had adopted polymer banknotes for all of its banknote denominations. 2006 The Australian Government agency CSIRO issued a non legal tender polymer note to celebrate the 80th year of the formation of CSIRO. These notes were issued and distributed to staff members and at selected public events. August 2006 Vietnam adopted polymer banknote in 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, 200,000 and 500,000 đồng for general circulation. 1 December 2006 The National Bank of Romania issued a new denomination, 200 lei. 2007 The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region issued polymer banknotes for the first time. The banknotes are in HK$ 10. February 2007 As part of the Nigerian economic reforms, the 20 naira note was issued for the first time in polymer substrate. August 2007 Guatemala introduced polymer banknotes in denominations of 1 quetzal and 5 quetzales. 2008 An announcement from the Central Bank of Nicaragua in 2008 stated that a new 200 Córdoba banknote would be in circulation. 13 April 2008 Israel started to issue 20 ILS banknotes, due to the high deterioration of 20 ILS paper banknotes. The Israeli polymer notes are printed by Orell Füssli Security Printing of Zürich, Switzerland. 1 December 2008 The National Bank of Romania issued a revised 10 lei banknote. 2009 On 15 May, Nicaragua released new polymer ten and twenty Nicaragua córdoba banknotes to replace their paper counterparts. After an announcement from the Central Bank of Nicaragua in 2008 stated that a new 200 Córdoba banknote would be in circulation, it took the country an additional year to prepare its new set of banknotes. A new polymer two hundred and a hundred córdoba banknote was first issued on the first of June 2009. In December 2009, a new 50 banknote was released, later followed by a new 500 banknote that was issued on 12 January 2010. September 2009 The Central Bank of Chile introduced a new series of the Chilean peso, starting with the redesigned 5000 Pesos banknote. 30 September 2009 Three Nigerian bank notes (₦50, ₦10 and ₦5) were converted to polymer substrate following the successful performance of the 20 naira (polymer) banknote. October 2010 The Central Bank of Chile announced the redesigned 2000 Pesos that went into circulation on 20 November, as a program to change the old designs and make them more secure. November 2011 The Bank of Canada introduced the Frontier Series $100 polymer banknote to modernise its currency and reduce counterfeiting. $50 banknotes were put into circulation in March 2012; the $20 note was put into circulation on 7 November 2012 with the $10 and $5 denominations released on 7 November 2013. November 2011 Guatemala introduced new polymer banknote in denomination of 5 quetzales. 16 July 2012 Bank Negara Malaysia put new RM1 and RM5 polymer banknotes into circulation as part of a new banknote series. 2013 The Bank of England announced that it would adopt polymer notes. April 2013 The Reserve Bank of India introduced plastic/polymer currency note of 10 on a field trial basis in five cities in India. 22 August 2013 The Bank of Mauritius issued new 25 , 50 , and 500 rupee polymer banknotes which will circulate in parallel with the existing paper notes of the same denominations. The new polymer notes have almost the same design as the preceding paper banknotes, but contain numerous new security features such as transparent windows showing the image of the dodo, numbers printed with magnetic ink which become fluorescent under ultra violet light, and swing features printed in iridescent ink, which change to a different colour when observed in transparency or when tilted. The 25 , and 50 rupee notes are printed by Oberthur Technologies on Innovia Security's Guardian substrate and the 500 rupee note is printed by De La Rue on its Safeguard (formerly Flexycoin) substrate. 22 November 2013 The Banque du Liban issued a £L50,000 banknote in polymer to commemorate the country's 70th anniversary of independence. 2014 The Banque du Liban issued a £L50,000 banknote in polymer to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Banque du Liban. 2014 The Reserve Bank of Vanuatu introduced polymer banknotes in denominations of 200, 1,000 and 2,000 vatu. 5 August 2014 The National Bank of Poland issued 50,000 20zł. polymer banknotes to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Polish Legions. 20 July 2014 The Central Bank of the Gambia issued a 20 Dalasis banknote printed on De La Rue's Safeguard polymer substrate. It commemorates "20 Years of Progress and Self Reliance", coinciding with President Yahya Jammeh's 20 years in office as president. 28 November 2014 The Central Bank of Mauritania issued a 1,000 Ouguiya banknote on Innovia Security's Guardian substrate. 15 December 2014 The Central Bank of Trinidad & Tobago issued a TT$50 note printed on polymer to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Central Bank of Trinidad & Tobago. 23 December 2014 The Banco de Cabo Verde issued a new family of escudo banknotes that honour Cape Verdean figures in the fields of literature, music, and politics. One note in the new series is the 200 escudos banknote, now printed on polymer. 2015 The Reserve Bank of New Zealand introduced a new family of notes with improved security features, with the 5 and 10 in October 2015, and the 20, 50 and 100 dollar banknotes in April 2016. 2015 Clydesdale Bank issued two million £5 notes, printed in polymer. It features a portrait of Sir William Arrol and an image of the Forth Bridge. 2015 The Reserve Bank of India announced plans to introduce polymer banknotes on a pilot basis and improve security features to defeat the efforts of counterfeiters. 2015 The Banque du Liban issued a £L50,000 banknote in polymer to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Lebanese Army. 2015 The Bank of Papua New Guinea issued 10 and 20 kina notes in polymer, one to commemorate the XV Pacific Games and the other to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Papua New Guinean independence. 2015 The Maldives Authority Monetary introduced a new family of banknotes printed on De La Rue's "Safeguard" polymer substrate. A commemorative 5,000 Rufiyaa banknote was issued in July 2015, and followed by the 5 ,10 , 20 , 50 , 100 , 500 and a new denomination of 1,000 Rufiyaa in October 2015. 2015 The Monetary Authority of Singapore issued a set of polymer banknotes to commemorate the nation's 50th Anniversary of independence. It consists of five S$10 notes and a commemorative S$50 note. 2015 The Banco Central de Nicaragua issued a new family of notes on 26 October 2015. They are printed in polymer, except for the 500 cordobas banknote, which is printed on cotton paper substrate. 9 September 2015 The Bank of Canada (Banque du Canada) issued a C$ 20 polymer banknote to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's milestone as the longest reigning monarch in Canada's modern era. It is similar to the regular issue 20 dollar Frontier Series polymer note, but the notable features for the commemorative note are the metallic portrait of the queen, based on a photograph taken by renowned Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh, the metallic symbol including the Queen's monogram surmounted by the St. Edward's crown, surrounded by a garland of maple leaves and the text "A HISTORIC REIGN • UN RÈGNE HISTORIQUE" repeated at the top, center and bottom of the large window. 2016 The Government of Gibraltar issued a £100 polymer banknote to commemorate Sir Joshua Hassan's 22 years as Chief Minister in the first half of 2016. 2016 The Royal Bank of Scotland issued £5 and £10 banknotes in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The notes were printed on De La Rue's Safeguard polymer substrate. 1 September 2016 The Reserve Bank of Australia issued a A$ 5 polymer note with improved security features and a tactile feature to assist those with visual impairments. 13 September 2016 The Bank of England began issuing the new polymer £5 note, the first to be issued in England and Wales. 17 March 2017 The Reserve Bank of India announced that it will do trials of polymer notes at five locations in India. 1 June 2017 The Bank of Canada (Banque du Canada) unveiled a C$ 10 polymer banknote to commemorate the 150th anniversary of confederation. September 2017 The Bank of England issued a new polymer £10 note. 1 January 2018 The National Bank of Romania issued all denominations with the new (revised) coat of arms of Romania. All the other features remained unchanged for all the denominations. 1 January 2018 The Banco Central de Sao Tome and Principe issued polymer banknotes in denominations of 5 and 10 dobras. February 2018The Bank of Botswana introduced a new 10 pula banknote printed on polymer to express the concern of the poor quality of the paper used in the printing of this denomination of banknote. May 2018 The National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia issued 10 and 50 denari polymer banknotes as part of a new series.22 May 2018The Central Bank of Russia issued a ₽100 banknote to commemorate the 2018 FIFA World Cup. September 2018 The Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU) printed a special and experimental edition of polymer banknotes with a value of 50 UYU to test reception and to celebrate the bank's 50th anniversary, that was in 2017, producing 10,000,000 units. December 2018 The Bank of Mauritius has issued a 2,000 rupees banknote printed on polymer substrate and with revised security features, while at the same time all previous versions of the 2,000 rupees paper banknote ceased being legal tender by the end of January 2019. 2019 The Central bank of Morocco introduced a 20 dirham polymer banknote to mark 20 years of enthronement of Mohammed VI. 2019 The Bank of Albania introduced a new 200 Lek polymer banknote on 30 September 2019. 17 February 2019 The Central Bank of Libya has issued a 1 Dinar banknote on 17 February 2019, in commemoration of the 8th Anniversary of the Libyan Revolution of 2011. 27 February 2019 Bank of Ireland, Danske Bank and Ulster Bank, commercial banks in Northern Ireland, each issued a new series of pound banknotes on polymer substrate for general use in Northern Ireland on 27 February 2019.2 May 2019The Central Bank of Solomon Islands introduced a new design of the SI$5 banknote, which was issued in conjunction of World Tuna Day. June 2019 The Central Bank of Samoa announced the release of a new 10 Tala polymer banknote in June 2019, to commemorate the XVI Pacific Games 2019 which were held in Samoa from 7 July 2019. The 10 Tala banknote will be the second polymer banknote issued in Samoa and the first carbon offset banknote created from the polymer substrate. The new banknote is one of a kind for Samoa as it will have a horizontal front and a vertical back. The banknote will feature a see through window depicting the Pacific Games logo, and a tactile embossed feature to assist the visually impaired, both are unique features of polymer banknotes. The standard banknote prefix has been replaced with the special PG/XVI prefix denoting "XVI Pacific Game". Issuance of the new 10 Tala note will commence the last week of June 2019, and will co circulate together with the existing 10 tala banknotes which will remain legal tender. Organisation of Eastern Caribbean StatesMid 2019The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank started issuing a new family of banknotes from the EC$5 to the EC$100, all printed on polymer, a plan which has been announced since 5 September 2018. 9 December 2019 The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago issued a TT$100 polymer banknote for circulation on 9 December 2019, while announcing that all versions of the paper TT$100 banknotes will be demonetized and withdrawn from circulation on 31 December 2019. 20 February 2020 The Bank of England issued a £20 polymer banknote. This the third banknote in the new series. 25 March 2020 The Bank of Namibia issued a 30 dollar polymer banknote to commemorate 30 years of independence. 7 July 2020 National Bank of Angola issued 200, 500, 1000, 2000 Kwanzas banknotes on polymer substrate. 25 July 2020 The Banco Central de Costa Rica issued a new family of polymer banknote in denominations of 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 and 20,000 colones. 30 September 2020 The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago issued a new polymer banknote family in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 dollars. 4 October 2020 The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority has announced the 5 riyal banknote will be switched to polymer, replacing the current paper banknote, without any announcement on the other banknotes. The banknote was said to feature more environmentally friendly materials and additional security features, in addition to a much longer lifespan. October 2020 The Central Bank of Uruguay replaced the commemorative 50 UYU polymer note in 2020 with a standard bill using the same design as the previous cotton note, as well as printing a 20 UYU polymer note. 21 November 2020 The Banco de Mexico released a 100 peso polymer banknote as a part of the new Series G banknotes. 5 December 2020 The Banque du Liban released a £L100,000 polymer banknote in circulation to commemorate the centenary of the establishment of Greater Lebanon. 8 January 2021 The Bank of Cape Verde introduced a new 200 escudo note like the preceding issue printed in polymer, but printed on cotton paper.22 February 2021The Bank of Botswana printed a new version of the polymer 10 pula banknote, but this time featuring president Mokgweetsi Masisi. 23 June 2021 The Bank of England issued a £50 polymer banknote, completing sterling's transition from paper to polymer notes. This the fourth and final Series G banknote to be issued. 1 December 2021 The National bank of Romania introduced a new 20 lei banknote, depicting World War I hero Ecaterina Teodoroiu. 7 December 2021 The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates introduced the country's first polymer banknote a redesigned Dh50 note to commemorate the golden jubilee of the country on 2 December 2021. 21 March 2022 The Central Bank of Barbados announced its intent to replace the current paper banknotes with a newly designed polymer version by the end of the year. The new designs of the polymer banknotes were revealed on 4 May 2022 and the notes were rolled out 5 December 2022 as scheduled. 24 March 2022 The Bank of Thailand started issuing polymer banknotes bearing the image of Rama X. It is done to improve its quality as it is the most widely used banknote and hence it is prone to sustained damage. 18 April 2022 The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas started issuing the 1000 piso polymer banknote, the country's first polymer banknote. These banknotes began the phased issuance to banks, with the release of a limited quantity. 21 and 26 April 2022 The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates started issuing new, redesigned Dh5 and Dh10 polymer currency notes. The 10 dirham banknote entered circulation on Thursday 21 April and the 5 dirham banknote entered circulation on Tuesday 26 April. Following that, it was announced that the Dh1000 note will also be replaced and circulation will start on the first half of 2023.6 July 2022The Central Bank of Egypt started issuing the new LE10 banknote which has been planned since the year 2020. The existing version of the LE10 banknote printed on paper will continue to circulate in parallel with the new polymer banknotes.21 June 2023Almost one year after the release of the new LE10 polymer banknote, the Central Bank of Egypt issued the new LE20 polymer banknotes. Just like the paper LE10 notes, the paper versions of the LE20 note will co circulate with the new polymer version.18 July 2023The Bank of Jamaica officially released a new banknote series that they've planned since the end of May 2022, and the new polymer series includes a $2000 note. This introduction of the new denomination is done in order to bridge the gap between the $1000 and $5000 denominations, reduce the number of notes needed for multi thousand dollar transactions, and eventually reduce costs for the central bank, due to a lower reliance on the $1000 note.27 October 2023According to a press release, the Central Bank of Solomon Islands announced the release of a new SI$10 banknote to commemorate the 2023 Pacific Games held in Honiara, which was the first time the country hosted the Pacific Games, held from 19 November to 2 December 2023.30 November 2023The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates started issuing a new polymer version of the Dh500 banknote.4 December 2023The National Reserve Bank of Tonga released a new family of six banknotes (ranging from 2 to 100 paʻanga), with the 5 and 10 paʻanga being polymer. This new series was released on 4 December, the birthday of King Tupou I. December 2023The Central Bank of Samoa started issuing new polymer versions of their 5 , 10 , and 20 tālā banknotes. Organization of Eastern Caribbean StatesJune 2024According to an announcement by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in February 2024, a new EC$50 banknote would be released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Grenada's independence from the United Kingdom in June 2024.