Q&T Hi-Tech Polymer and KURZ have signed a project development cooperation Agreement to integrate KINEGRAM® optical security features within the layers of Q&T’s polymer substrate structure, with the aim to create a higher level of security integration than conventional surface-applied features.
The partnership builds on Q&T’s recently launched PolyShield® architecture for integrating embedded security features into its PolySecure polymer substrate.
Dr Andreas Hirschfelder, CEO, KURZ (left), with Luong Ngoc Anh, Chairman of Q&T.
Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly develop the technology, advance it towards industrial-scale production, explore new design possibilities and promote the solution to central banks and the wider banknote market.
The collaboration represents a significant milestone for the banknote industry and is believed to be the first exclusive technology partnership between a polymer banknote substrate manufacturer and KURZ, a global leader in optical security technologies with more than 130 years of innovation experience.
The partnership comes as Vietnamese-based Q&T, a relative newcomer to the industry, continues to strengthen its position in the polymer banknote sector. The company recently announced the acquisition of a BOBST VISION K5 HS vacuum metalliser featuring AluBond® technology. The 1.35m-wide system will become Q&T’s first in-house metallising line, supporting the vertical integration of one of the most critical processes in high-security polymer banknote production (see HOTN January 2026).
Q&T first unveiled the concept of embedding OVDs into its polymer substrate at last year’s Currency Conference, with what it then termed PolySecure Shield. At the time, it explained that both stripes and patches could be applied either via hot stamping or UV casting and curing (see HOTN June 2025).
The latest partnership with KURZ further strengthens Q&T’s position as a provider of integrated substrate and security solutions, while addressing central banks’ increasing demand for enhanced durability, authentication and counterfeit protection.
