Hazen Paper received four honours at the 33rd Annual Gold Leaf Awards in Nashville, held from 17-19 June 2026. They included three golds for best use of embellished poster, best use of holographics (self-promotion) and best use of transfer metallised substrate. The awards were organised by the Foil and Specialty Effects Association (FSEA).

The Indian Malt Whisky Association (IMWA) has introduced a certification hologram programme designed to authenticate Indian single malt whisky and verify compliance with the association’s production standards. Indri, the whisky brand owned by Piccadily Agro Industries, is the first brand to announce adoption of the certification hologram on its bottles.

Dealmaking accelerated during 2024 and 2025, with events in 2026 confirming that consolidation remains a defining industry trend. From manufacturing and product authentication to digital identity and banknote printing, companies are reshaping their portfolios through strategic acquisitions.

3S, a German security printing specialist, has announced a strategic rebranding, adopting the name 3S Group to better reflect its growing international structure and long-term development plans.

The physical landscape of the holography and authentication industry is changing once again. With the closure of its photopolymer manufacturing facility in Logan, Utah, Crane Authentication, part of Crane NXT, has transitioned the facility as part of a broader portfolio evolution while advancing its next-generation physical and digital authentication solutions.

In Pakistan, holography and optical security technologies are evolving. While secure identity programmes remain a key application, the growing use of these technologies in brand protection, digital communication and immersive experiences highlights their expanding influence across the country’s public and commercial sectors.

Scientists at Stanford University have developed a shape-shifting material that can dynamically change both colour and surface texture, mimicking the camouflage abilities of cephalopods such as octopuses and cuttlefish. Published in Nature, this breakthrough could enable advanced optical security, adaptive displays, soft robotics, and next-generation anti-counterfeiting technologies.

Researchers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have developed a novel light-programmed system capable of projecting high-resolution three-dimensional images across 28 depth layers simultaneously, marking a significant advance in holographic display technology. Published in Light: Science & Applications, the research introduces a hybrid digital-optical architecture that combines deep learning with diffractive optics to generate volumetric images in a single exposure.

From advanced optical security and sustainable banknotes to phygital identity ecosystems, the 2026 HSP Latin America Awards showcased the technologies shaping the future of currency and identity. The most recent iteration of the Regional Banknote and ID Document of the Year Awards, presented during the High Security Printing (HSP) Latin America conference in Guatemala City on 2 June, recognised outstanding achievements across currency and identity.

When I attended the Security Document Summit (SDS) this year, the first thought that came to mind was how it was different from last year. This year’s event was held 27-28 May at the China National Convention Centre (CNCC).

In 2025, the global security technology, authentication, and secure printing sectors continued to evolve despite economic uncertainty and geopolitical challenges. The industry players reported growth, highlighting the convergence of traditional security printing with digital security infrastructure and intelligent authentication technologies.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) recently moved to rebut claims that its hologram label verification system, known as FarmaTag™ for health products had become ineffective.

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have created a new hologram technology that uses light’s own properties as an encryption key, posing a far greater challenge for those looking to counterfeit security features.

The International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA) has introduced a new Start-Up Membership Programme to encourage innovation and strengthen collaboration across the optical security and authentication sector.

The global label market reached c. 76 billion square metres in 2025, a 2.8% increase from the previous year, according to the AWA’s Labelling and Product Decoration Market Report 2026.

In a major move to address surging global demand for secure identification, material giant Covestro and secure ID system integrator EMPTECH have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The strategic partnership aims to co-develop next-generation, high-security identity document solutions by integrating advanced personalisation equipment with cutting-edge polymer materials.

Holoflex Limited, a leading provider of holograms, tax stamps, and labelling solutions in India, plans to invest around c. £2.6 million (₹30 crore) over the next two years to establish a second manufacturing facility, as demand for integrated physical and digital brand protection solutions continues to grow.

Recent claims questioning the effectiveness of Malaysia’s pharmaceutical security label programme, FarmaTag™, have reignited an important debate about the programme’s effectiveness. The Ministry of Health (MOH) responded unequivocally, firmly rejecting claims that the system is incapable of protecting consumers from falsified medicines.

After five years and an investment of c. €60 million, De La Rue’s new factory in Malta has been officially opened in the presence of the country’s Prime Minister, Robert Abela, and Silvio Schembri, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects. Described as a ‘supersite’, it will – says De La Rue – support the creation of world class, functionally excellent banknotes for the next 50 years and beyond.

For many years, KURZ has led in demonstrating how advanced optical security technologies integrate into banknotes. Through a series of creative sample banknotes and showcases, the company has illustrated the potential of security threads, registered stripes, stripe-over-window features, applied patch labels, and security patches.