A new 100,000 Livres banknote, issued by Banque du Liban to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the foundation of Lebanon, is one of the most secure in the world.
The new note, launched on 1st September 2020, includes a new security feature – CINEMA™ – which is being hailed as adding a new dimension to the barriers against counterfeiting.
The CINEMA feature creates 3D and moving image effects within the core material, the substrate of the banknote, before any printing and additional features are added. It’s the latest in a long line of advanced security measures developed by CCL Secure, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of polymer banknotes.
“This is very advanced security and the world’s first application of this new technology in a polymer banknote,” said Dr. Tim Berridge, Director of R&D, Marketing and Design with CCL Secure.
CINEMA is available only with the company’s GUARDIAN™ polymer substrate, which is used in more than 160 denominations and commemorative banknotes around the world.
The Lebanese banknote’s innovative design is themed around images of Nejmeh Square (Parliament Square), which symbolises the Middle Eastern country’s independence and democracy. Another CCL Secure feature – VIVID™ Colour – transforms the cedar tree from white to full colour when seen under UV Light. CCL Secure collaborated with specialist printers PWPW on the design and production of the note and with micro optics innovators Rolling Optics to develop the CINEMA feature.
Other images change from a view of the scene in 2020 to the same view in 1920 when the banknote is moved or tilted. Images of cedar trees – a national emblem of Lebanon – also change their appearance under different lighting or viewing angles.
The notes features are shown in the video below:
The new 100,000 Livres banknote is also greener and much more sustainable than paper notes. In everyday use, the new notes will last much longer and need to be replaced much less than paper. When, eventually, the notes need to be withdrawn from circulation, they can be recycled as a wide range of polymer-based products including kitchenware and building materials.