British passports will undergo a redesign beginning in December 2025, representing a significant update since Brexit.

Beginning in December 2025, the Montana Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) introduced redesigned driver’s licences and ID cards to reduce fraud and identity theft.

The 21st edition of High Security Printing™ Asia (HSP Asia), held in Kuala Lumpur from 1-3 December 2025, delivered the strongest performance in the event’s history. The conference set a new benchmark for the series, attracting 337 delegates from 145 organisations across 51 countries, including 34 governments and central banks. It also raised the bar for high-quality presentations, strategic collaborations, and high-impact new product launches.

KURZ marks three decades of security-foil production at Sulzbach-Rosenberg.

The International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA) announced the winners of its inaugural Excellence in Optical Technologies Awards 2025 during the Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) Conference in Warsaw, Poland (see HOTN September 2025).

At the Optical and Digital Document Security™ conference, in September, George Hall, Chief Commercial Officer of UK company H010 (pronounced ‘holo’ but note the two zeroes and the figure ‘1’), presented this start-up’s novel hologram/QR code security label.

Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) has announced the development of a nanoimprint lithography (NIL) template with a circuit line width of 10 nanometres.

At the High Security Printing (HSP) Asia 2025 conference in Kuala Lumpur this month, Authentix unveiled PICO secure™, described as the world’s first nano-optic, plasmonic optical variable device (OVD) for polycarbonate identity documents. The feature – says Authentix – delivers always-on structural colour and movement, drawing on its award-winning nano-optic technology.

The Central Bank of Madagascar (Banky Foiben’i Madagasikara) has enhanced the security of its 10,000 Ariary and 20,000 ariary banknotes with a Moov™ security thread from IN Groupe.

As we conclude 2025, we reflect on a year that transformed the OVDs sector. Our pages highlighted breakthroughs, bold ideas, and the expanding critical role of OVDs across various sectors. The industry advanced rapidly, and your engagement helped us follow this development with clarity and purpose.

Authentix, a pioneer in nano-optic security technologies, has signed a Cooperation and License Agreement with LEONHARD KURZ, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of advanced high-security features. This partnership combines Authentix’s groundbreaking innovation with KURZ’s world-class production capacity.

Around the world, 166 issuing authorities circulate 1,007 banknote denominations in regular use, excluding commemoratives. According to data from the Reconnaissance DataVault, Asia leads the global charts with 314 active denominations, reflecting the region’s scale, diversity, and rapid monetary development.

The International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA) announced the winners of its inaugural Excellence in Optical Technologies Awards 2025 during a special ceremony held at the Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) Conference in Warsaw, Poland (see HOTN September 2025).

The security and authentication sector has seen a surge in significant acquisitions in recent years, enhancing capabilities and consolidating expertise. However, recent developments suggest a shift in focus. Partnerships and collaborations are now becoming more prominent. The question arises: is collaboration the way forward?

ZEISS, a global leader in optics and photonics, has entered a strategic partnership with LG Chem to secure large-scale, sustainable production of advanced photopolymer films.

Covestro, a German materials science company that was spun out from Bayer in 2015, is celebrating ten years of innovation and growth with an emphasis on sustainable solutions for secure documents. Over the past decade, Covestro has established itself as a leading supplier of high-performance polymer films for passports, ID cards, and driving licenses.

Hueck Folien has successfully commissioned a new high-vacuum vapour deposition facility at its headquarters in Baumgartenberg, Austria. The €8.6 million investment, announced in September 2024, includes both a new metallisation system and associated infrastructure upgrades, marking a major advance in the company’s production of high-performance coatings for the security sector (see HOT News October 2024).

The European Technology Platform Photonics21 and some of Europe’s largest companies – including Bosch, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Nokia Bell Labs, Zeiss, Trumpf, and EssilorLuxottica – have united to urge the European Commission to prioritise photonics in the upcoming EU Framework Programme (FP10).

In the September issue of Holography & Optical Technology News™, Guri Dhillon wrote about why UV resin is widely used in security holograms, diffractive optical elements (DOEs), and high-resolution embossing applications. In this article, he examines how the curing wavelength influences dimensional stability and discusses formulation and process strategies that allow optical and micro-structured surfaces to be replicated with sub-micron precision.

A project at Duke University has demonstrated how commercial AI models could accelerate microscopic examination of 2D materials and analysis of the results.