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Chander S Jeena

15 April 2026

4 min read

China’s Commemorative Series: A Platform for Innovation

‘China thinks in centuries, not in years’ – Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State & author of book ‘ON CHINA’.

Banknotes Free Free

Violet Nguyen

15 April 2026

3 min read

Wires That Don’t Catch Fire: Vietnam Fights Fake Cables

Vietnam’s cable industry is experiencing rapid growth, with increased infrastructure investment and expanding manufacturing capacity. Meanwhile, counterfeit risk has shifted from isolated incidents to a systemic supply chain challenge.

Brand Protection Free Free

Chander S Jeena

15 April 2026

2 min read

KURZ and BOBST Deepen Partnership with Strategic NOVAFOIL 106 H Installation

LEONHARD KURZ has enhanced its Application Technology Department in Fürth, Germany, by installing a BOBST NOVAFOIL 106 H hot-stamping machine. This installation marks the 55th anniversary of BOBST’s entry into hot transfer technology and strengthens the company’s 20 year partnership.

Machines & Resins

Chander S Jeena

15 April 2026

2 min read

Rewritable Holograms Could Open a New Chapter In Optical Security

Since their use on credit cards in the 1980s, holograms have been associated with optical security. Their distinctive rainbow colour shifting on banknotes, passports, payment cards and branded packaging, offer a quick visual confirmation that an item is genuine.

Technical Features

Chander S Jeena

15 April 2026

3 min read

Postage Stamps with Holograms

The integration of holography with postage stamps represents one of the more unusual intersections between security printing, applied optics and philately. The new edition of ‘Holography and Philately: Postage Stamps with Holograms’ marks the most authoritative consolidation of this specialised field to date and underscores how innovation in hologram stamps has ebbed and flowed in recent years.

Holography

Chander S Jeena

15 April 2026

2 min read

XV Anniversary Conference on Photonics and Information Optics

The XV Anniversary International Conference on Photonics and Information Optics commenced on 28 January 2026 at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI in Moscow. Organised in collaboration with the Russian Academy of Sciences, the three-day event gathered researchers, engineers, and academics working in photonics and digital optics.

Events

Chander S Jeena

15 April 2026

2 min read

ITSA Unveils New Identity Reflecting the Future of Tax Security

The International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) has adopted a new name that reflects a major shift in the technologies and systems used to control regulated products. The organisation will now be known as the International Tax Stamp, Authentication and Traceability Association, albeit retaining the well-established ITSA acronym by which it is widely recognised in the industry.

Associations

Chander S Jeena

15 April 2026

1 min read

IOTA to Lead OVD Workshop at Banknote Conference 2026

The International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA) will lead a specialist workshop at the Banknote Conference 2026 in Washington DC, reinforcing its role in advancing optical security technologies.

IOTA (IHMA)

Chander S Jeena

15 April 2026

1 min read

Guatemala to Host HSP Latin America as Registration and Award Entries Open

Reconnaissance, publishers of Holography & Optical Technology News™ and organisers of the High Security Printing™ (HSP) conferences, has announced that registration is now open for the upcoming HSP Latin America event, scheduled for 1-3 June 2026 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The program details are already announced.

Events

Chander S Jeena

15 April 2026

4 min read

Holography Exhibitions from the 1980s to Gallery 286

Display holography has always been as much about how it is shown as how it is made. Unlike photography or print, a hologram can’t simply be hung on a wall, leaving the lighting to chance. It must be illuminated, angled and viewed under carefully controlled conditions to reconstruct the recorded wavefront. These physical constraints make the exhibiting of holography as much to do with where it is being shown as it is about what is being shown.

Holography

Chander S Jeena

15 April 2026

2 min read

BRBNMPL Seeks Partners for In-House Colour Shift Pigment Manufacturing

The Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Pvt Ltd (BRBNMPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India, has issued an amended global Expression of Interest (EOI/010 (A)/CO/2025-26) to establish a manufacturing facility for colour shift pigments (CSP) suitable for printing banknotes/other security products at its Mysure site. The previous bid was for colour shift pigment/films and thread.

Strategy

17 March 2026

2 min read

Holograms and QR Codes Drive Telangana’s Road Safety Push

In a recent move to enhance night-time road safety and curb accidents caused by poor visibility, the Telangana Transport Department (India) has issued a new mandate requiring all transport vehicles to be equipped with high-standard reflective rear-marking plates and tapes.

Authentication Strategy

Chander S Jeena

17 March 2026

2 min read

New Colombian Passport Features Holographic Security

In a move to redefine national security, President Gustavo Petro has unveiled the design of Colombia’s new passport. Set to enter circulation on 1 April 2026, the document is being hailed as one of the four most secure travel documents in the world.

ID & Secure Documents

Chander S Jeena

17 March 2026

2 min read

IOTA Sets 2026 Strategy with New Board Appointments

The International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA) held its electronic Annual General Meeting (e-AGM) on 24 February 2026, reaffirming its governance structure and presenting a strategic roadmap for the coming year.

IOTA (IHMA)

Chander S Jeena

17 March 2026

2 min read

Q&T Hi-Tech Raises Standards with INTERGRAF 15374

Hanoi-based Q&T Hi-tech Polymer continues to strengthen its position in the global polymer banknote ecosystem, combining certification milestones with new technology investments that deepen its capabilities in high-security production.

Companies

Chander S Jeena

17 March 2026

2 min read

PEAR-FINCH: A New Breakthrough in 3D Holographic Imaging

A breakthrough in computational imaging is set to transform how scientists study complex biological structures. Led by doctoral researcher Shivasubramanian Gopinath at the University of Tartu’s Institute of Physics, a research team has developed a method to bypass one of the most persistent limitations in microscopy – fixed focal depth.

Medical Imaging

Chander S Jeena

17 March 2026

3 min read

Diamond Dust is a Label’s Best Friend

Securikett, a provider of tamper-evident security labels and brand protection products, has announced a strategic partnership with Dust Identity, a provider of physical-to-digital identity technology.

Brand Protection

Chander S Jeena

17 March 2026

3 min read

Demax Launches Thin Single Layer Motion for Banknotes and ID

Over the past few years, light-field imaging has been considered one of the more promising directions for next-generation document security features. By reproducing not only the intensity of light but also its direction, a light-field structure can create convincing 3D imagery that changes naturally when the viewing angle shifts. For the holder of a passport, banknote or ID card, the result is an effect that is both visually striking and immediately verifiable by the naked eye.

Technical Features

Francis Tuffy

17 March 2026

5 min read

A Walk Through the World’s Largest Hologram Showroom

Just before the end of 2025, I travelled to Uxbridge, north-west London, to see Musion 3D’s newly opened World’s Largest Hologram Showroom (WLHS). The site is located within The Atrium, a conventional mixed-use commercial-technology building whose exterior offers little indication of the optical and computational systems operating within.

AR & VR

Chander S Jeena

17 March 2026

3 min read

Next-Gen Banknotes and Optical Innovation at the HSP EMEA Awards

The High Security Printing (HSP) EMEA Awards continue to be the region’s premier platform recognising excellence in banknote and ID design and innovation. This year’s awards took place on 10 February in Rabat, Morocco. In our last edition, we covered the ID awards; now we focus on the best innovation in banknotes.

Awards Free Free

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