De La Rue's banknote security solutions
Secure banknote design, substrate and feature manufacture, printing, and distribution are central to De La Rue’s integrated currency solutions. With over 160 years of global leadership, we produce advanced banknotes that incorporate the most comprehensive security features seamlessly embedded within our designs.
As the only polymer substrate supplier that also designs and prints complete banknotes, De La Rue ensures unmatched integration between material, feature and aesthetic—resulting in highly secure, durable, and visually distinctive notes. Our dedicated team of currency experts supports central banks with counterfeit assessments and cash cycle analytics, enabling data-driven decisions and enhanced resilience across the cash ecosystem.
De La Rue’s currency security features
IGNITE®
IGNITE® combines colour-shift and micro-optic technologies to create vibrant, secure threads with striking effects. Ideal for mid/high denominations, it enhances banknote security, design, and counterfeit resistance.
KINETIC STARCHROME®
KINETIC STARCHROME® combines colour-shifting and holographic materials to create secure, visually engaging threads. Ideal for high denominations, it enhances banknote design and strengthens counterfeit resistance.
PUREIMAGE™
PUREIMAGE™ is a next-gen holographic thread with unique movement and pulsing effects. Its advanced diffractive microstructures provide striking, customisable visuals.
Optical Microstructures
Optical microstructures enhance banknote security with high-resolution, 3D imagery, animations, and customisable effects, offering robust counterfeit protection for paper and polymer notes.
Enhanced GEMINI™
GEMINI™ is a versatile UV-reactive print feature, revealing hidden two-colour images for authentication. It’s customisable, enhances counterfeit resilience and can be used for every banknote denomination.
ASSURE™
ASSURE™ provides embedded Level 3 machine-readable security in polymer banknotes, offering long-lasting durability and enhanced protection, ensuring public confidence.
Bespoke security features
At De La Rue, every security feature is designed for customisation—enabling seamless integration into each banknote’s overall design to meet the specific security needs of every currency.
Our security threads come in a range of technologies and can be enhanced with high-resolution icons, imagery, numerals, and letters cto differentiate denominations. Each thread layer includes dynamic effects such as colour-shifting, micro-optics, and holography that react to changes in angle and light—making authentication intuitive and immediate.
Holographic patches and stripes offer additional visual depth, combining multiple effects within a single feature. With near-limitless design flexibility, they elevate both the security and the visual identity of the banknote, driving public trust through clear, recognisable cues.
58% of commercially printed banknotes have been designed by De La Rue since 2020
300 Combined years’ experience of De La Rue's design team
Over 180 denominations issued on polymer substrate
Counterfeit protection
Advanced security features are vital in safeguarding banknotes against counterfeiting and upholding public confidence in their authenticity. De La Rue banknotes integrate multiple layers of sophisticated technology—including holograms, security threads, micro-optics, and UV-reactive elements—each engineered to perform a specific role in the authentication process.
Individually, these features offer high levels of protection; when integrated into the design, they create a unified, multi-layered defence that is exceptionally difficult to replicate. This design-led approach ensures every banknote remains secure, recognisable, and trusted throughout its life in circulation.
