Wallet
More safe, strong, clever
Since appearing new modified banknotes counterfeiters have got new- full of losses-life
In 2004 the Bank of Russia took into circulation modified banknotes of 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 rubles.
The fact that the Board of directors of the Bank of Russia had made an appropriate decision was announced on the first days this year.
Several months later renovated banknotes appeared into circulation.
Since the time Russian counterfeiters have got new, very difficult life- because the protection of modified banknotes from counterfeits is strengthened sharply.
"Watermark" asked the representatives of the customers-the Bank of Russia and an executor-the Association Goznak for the comments about renovation of banknote range.
The best protection in the world
Alexander Urov, director of the department of emission-cash operations CB RF:
- According to Interpol recommendations, the banknote range is reasonable to be changed once in 5-7 years- the experience demonstrates that it is the likely period, counterfeiters need for arranging producing qualitative counterfeits. Changing banknote range might be done in two ways: either to produce new series (it demands serious expenses and long informative work), or to modify the existing banknotes. We have chosen modification, which causes strengthening of the banknote protection greatly, but as for appearance and graphic they remain practically the same.
It is important to mark that there will be no exchange of "old" money to "new": the banknotes of modification 2001, 1997 model, which we have still used, will be into circulation till their exhausting and will be removed by renovated banknotes gradually.
We had a target of the most important social meaning-to use completely all existing opportunities for the people to be able to differentiate original banknotes from counterfeits simply, without any special equipment, and by this way to secure themselves from their accidental getting. There is no reason to consider that after appearing modified banknotes counterfeiters will not make any attempts to copy them, but obviously the level of counterfeiting will fall sharply. First of all, new visual methods of protection are rather safe, and secondly, there are additional machine-readable and expert features on renovated banknotes. We have reasons to consider modified Russian banknotes to be the best in the world due to the level of protection from counterfeits.
Besides, modified banknotes will be more long lasting because of changing paper composition. Despite the fact modified banknotes are quite more expensive than banknotes of old pattern, finally the expenses for producing banknotes will decrease because of raising the time of their usage and cutting losses for transporting them. The work over increasing long-lasting quality of Russian banknotes is going on, the experts believe it will be possible to get better results in this direction.
The preparation for modification of the banknote range was carried out by the Bank of Russia together with specialists of the Association Goznak for three years. Now we have a task of making the campaign of informing the specialists and population about the authentication features, presenting in modified banknotes.
New investigations of scientists
Arkady Trachuk, General Director of Association Goznak:
- The protective complex of modified banknotes meets the highest world requirements. While its forming there were investigations of Goznak specialists and scientists from Research Institute Goznak used. In particular, the moire effect (or MVC-effect), this is a technology, developed by Goznak, and its exclusiveness is proved by a certain patent. The moire effect means that the part of the banknote, which while looking at the straight corner seems to be of the same colour, after changing the corner breaks up into colourful stripes, where one colour is moving smoothly into another. To create the given feature either by scanning or with the help of multiplying device is impossible.
In modified banknotes other openings of the Association Goznak were used also- "window"( or "diving") protective thread and the unique graded fibers.
I"d like to mark specially the appearance laser perforation on the banknotes of big denomination. This technology is used in Russia first time. In the world there is similar experience- several years ago laser perforation was applied by Switzerland for its francs. Mostly because of microperforation Swiss francs are considered to be the safest currency in the world: there are no cases of counterfeiting this security feature.
New banknotes are printed on the paper, fully prepared from cotton, it improves its long-lasting feature significantly.
Since taking the present Russian banknotes under circulation seven years have passed, and it is, due to Interpol recommendations, the deadline- from point of view of threatening appearance of a big number of false money. Russian banknotes of 1997 model, in fact, has been modified once- in 2001, but that time the changes were insignificant- some hidden protective features were added, they can be checked up only with the help of special equipment. Present modification is certain to be more scale and serious.
By the way, while entering renovated banknotes into production we keep working over creating new, more perfect protective features- that is the world practice.
Nadezda Vetrova
