Our world currencies are becoming increasingly more and more digital with the passing of the years; it is an interesting time to be alive. With paper currencies being used for many years and digital assets such as Bitcoin being introduced into the global markets, we are now even seeing a mixture of the two with physical bitcoin bills being created with embedded chip technology that is good as cash.
Yet the paper currencies which have been created in recent times are astonishingly advanced in their own right, having some amazing and beautiful aesthetics to them. What started out in China during the Tang dynasty as simple pieces of paper have now morphed into holograms, with micro-printed serial numbers and the use of many colors. Eventually, the rest of the world caught on and made these paper products their standards as well.
Some bills, like the 600 Ringgit note from the Central Bank of Malaysia, is the largest note in the world at 37cm by 22cm. A few cities even had their very own notes, like Detroit’s $3 bills! Yet things have gone very high-tech since those days of old. In order to thwart unethical reproductions, modern notes like the $5 bills of Australia are both partially see-through and holographic as well (featuring a Flying Eastern Spinebill bird which has a rolling color effect).
One of the very first proponents and adapters of the polymer bill, Australia introduced unique notes in 1988 and has continued to evolve them for increased security by adding a three dimensional septogram with a colored border, a number which changes direction depending on how you hold the bill, technicolor patterns and a serial number that lights up under a UV light. With all of these huge advancements, it surely seems that Australia has gotten a grip on protecting their notes over the years.
America, too, uses advanced technology in their bills with a security strip interlaced into the actual bill. Singaporean notes also contain security measures like optical illusions, images which are shadowed and polymer material which can’t easily be ripped. Then, with Singaporean fintech company Tangem introducing chip-infused notes in early 2018, a whole new digital component paved the way for the transition into another world of security. These are actually non-bendable, physical notes which are neither made from polymer, nor from paper.
Their values are currently available in two denominations, 0.01 BTC and 0.05 BTC, and are being used all over the world. Because they cost $2 each to produce it is still unclear if they will gain in popularity, yet the fact that they are being so widely printed is certainly interesting in and of itself!
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