Fewer of us pay with cash, yet the world is printing more banknotes than ever. So what’s going on?
In this episode, Dr James Wojtyk, author of the new Smithers report
The Future of Banknotes to 2031, explains the apparent contradiction. He shows how cash is evolving into a more sophisticated, secure and strategically important form of payment.
“Much is said about a cashless society, but cash is not dying – it is adapting.”
Dr James Wojtyk, Smithers
Digital wallets and central bank digital currencies keep spreading, but demand for physical currency hasn’t gone away. James looks at where that demand is coming from, how the technology inside every note is changing, and what it all means for the industry over the next five years.
In this episode:
- Why the world is splitting into two very different cash economies
- The fast-growing markets reshaping global banknote production, and one country to watch
- How security features are moving towards integrated, high-tech designs, from micro-optics to machine-readable authentication
- Why consolidation is expected among the industry’s main players
- Why governments and central banks see cash as a strategic asset for resilience, privacy and security.
Whether you’re a security printer, central bank, substrate or ink supplier, or anywhere else in the cash value chain, this episode gives you a clear view of where the $14 billion banknote market is heading. Listen now:
