12th March 2024
Kyrgyz Som Sees Second Phase of Banknote Series Modernization
Banknote Industry Collaboration
The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic has issued three new denominations of its fifth banknote series – 20, 50 and 100 som. This is the second phase of modernizing the national currency which started in May 2023. The three new banknotes went into circulation on February 15, 2024; issuance of the last remaining denomination, the 5000 som will take place in spring of 2024.
The modern and colorful notes are equipped with high-level security features such as RAPID® HD Detect from Crane Currency, fulfilling the need for the highest public protection against counterfeiting and machine-readability for reliable verification by banknote processing equipment.
The principal design of the new banknotes while modernized, remain unchanged from the previous series reflecting the historical and cultural heritage of Kyrgyzstan. The portraits, representatives of art and culture, have been preserved on the front of the banknotes leveraging the public’s familiarity with these motifs, and notable sites of the republic appear on the reverse. The main colors and the size of the banknotes also remain unchanged.
Industry Collaborations Strengthen the Currency Ecosystem
The banknote design was created by the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan in close collaboration with the printers Crane Currency and Oberthur Fiduciaire.
In October 2023, the National Banknote Expert, Dana Saifullina, received the 2023 Recognition and Collaborative Endeavors (RACE) Award on behalf of the National Bank from the Organizing Committee of the Mint and Print Conference – in recognition of its pioneering of innovative banknote design and production strategies.
Collaboration between competitive suppliers yielding new innovations has seen an increased presence in the past years as central banks seek tailored solutions.
When holding the note to the light, the pattern on the front and back of the note combine into a complete image of the Bank’s logo surrounded by diamonds.
Three Levels of Security
The new 20, 50 and 100 som banknotes follow the introduction of the 200, 500 and 1000 som notes in 2023. All of the banknotes contain an array of security features that provide reliable protection for the public and businesses against counterfeiting, including iridescent print, novel see-through and latent image print effects.
All denominations have customized RAPID HD Detect security threads with higher denominations using widths of 4 and 5 mm., and the 20, 50 and 100 som banknotes having widths of 2 and 3 mm. When the banknotes are tilted, the backgrounds of these threads respond with rapid up and down movement and a pulsating diamond-shaped logo of the National Bank.
The secure IR properties of RAPID HD Detect are invisible to the eye, but are easily verified by banknote processing equipment used throughout the cash processing ecosystem – from high-speed sorters to bill validators and acceptors.
Click here for more information about the three new banknotes from the Kyrgyz Bank.