Vehicle emission monitoring in Karnataka (India) has come to a standstill, with more than 400 Pollution Under Control (PUC) centres forced to shut due to a shortage of mandatory hologram stickers.

The Banknote Conference 2026 will take place 11-14 May in Washington DC. Even though the event is still months away, the organiser, Currency Research, has already shared details about six pre-event workshops and the first tranche of confirmed speakers, showing that a strong, technical program is planned.

The Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) has introduced an upgraded version of its highest-value banknote, the 500 Seychellois rupee (SCR), replacing the superwide Optiks thread (which has now been discontinued as a security feature) with a holographic stripe. The new 500 rupee banknotes entered circulation in December 2025.

Many efforts to use holographic storage for computer memory have fallen by the wayside, but the approach being taken by London-based HoloMem might finally see holograms used successfully as a means of archiving records efficiently while allowing rapid access.

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

Scientific Games (SG), the world’s leading lottery company and a long-time pioneer in holographic instant scratch games, has unveiled Obsidian, its latest premium breakthrough in scratch game design.

Reconnaissance, publisher of Holography & Optical Technology News™ and organiser of the High Security Printing™ (HSP) conference series, has confirmed that final preparations for HSP EMEA 2026 are underway, with registrations filling near capacity. The event will take place from 9-11 February 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, and registration will close soon.

Instantly access and analyse any documents, anywhere in the world, with DocCheck, a new member service for the International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA). This powerful tool is available to IOTA members starting January 2026.

In October, Holography & Optical Technology News™ reported on Hong Kong Customs (HKC) launch of a three-month pilot programme for its new tobacco duty stamp system. The initiative involved holographic trial duty stamps on duty-paid cigarette packs to help prevent illegal trade and enhance tax compliance.

The Central Bank of Turkmenistan has unveiled a new series of banknotes, designed and printed by De La Rue on SAFEGUARD® polymer, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s recognition as a permanently neutral state. Included in the upgrade are the three lowest denominations – the 1, 5, 10 manats – along with a new high denomination 200 manat. The previous highest denomination was the 100 manat, and the series also includes 20 and 50 manats.

The 21st High Security Printing™ Asia (HSP-Asia), organised by Reconnaissance, took place in Kuala Lumpur 1-3 December 2025 and was the most successful event in its history (see HOT News December 2025).

Holography, once the domain of high-energy lasers and complex camera arrays, is now entering the realm of everyday consumer technology. A recent study published in Optics Letters demonstrates how a single smartphone – specifically, an iPhone 13 Pro – can be used to generate full-parallax holographic portraits, offering a low-cost and accessible alternative to traditional methods.

Imagine a material that doesn’t contain colour in the usual way—no dyes, no pigments—yet it is colourful. It can sweep smoothly from red to blue simply by being stretched and then snap back again when released.

Holoflex Limited, a leading provider of holograms, tax stamps, and labelling solutions in India, has introduced a refreshed brand identity to mark 35 years of excellence.

With advances in holographic and foil technology, calendars are now more than just practical tools. They have become collectible items that tell a story and mark special moments. Many people still enjoy using wall or desk calendars, whether it’s flipping through the pages, marking birthdays, or writing reminders. These simple rituals offer something that digital apps can’t quite match.

As part of an initiative to define and categorise the visual characteristics that contribute to the ‘WOW factor’ in security holography, Reconnaissance International conducted a global survey of professionals involved in the specification, design, and assessment of holographic security features. The objective was to identify the attributes that are most effective in capturing attention and supporting document authentication across both ID documents and banknotes.

Hanoi-based Q&T Hi-tech Polymer continues to strengthen its position in polymer banknote production with the acquisition of a BOBST VISION K5 HS vacuum metalliser featuring AluBond® technology. The 1,350mm-wide system, scheduled for installation in early 2026, will be the company’s first in-house metallising line, marking a vital step in vertically integrating one of the most critical processes in high-security polymer banknote production.