Banknotes

New $10 Bahamas Banknote Combines Easy Public Authentication and Machine-Readability

Almost a decade ago, the Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBB) embarked on a program to modernize its banknotes. The latest addition to the family of CRISP Evolution banknotes, the upgraded $10 banknote, was issued in mid-December of 2022. It includes RAPID® HD Detect security thread from Crane Currency as its primary security feature, combining both easy and intuitive public authentication and machine-readable security.  

 

The CRISP Evolution banknotes, 10, 50 and 100 dollars

 

Previously upgraded Bahamian banknotes within the CRISP Evolution series include the $50 banknote, introduced in 2019 with a RAPID security thread from Crane Currency. The $100 banknote was launched two years later in 2021 with MOTION SURFACE® technology, displaying secure and captivating 3D effects with a marine theme. 

High contrast movement is the public’s most important visual cue for verifying authenticity quickly and decisively. The 4 mm wide RAPID HD Detect security thread displays a sand dollar (a flat sea urchin) and the number “10” depending on the viewing angle. The thread is visible inside a one-sided window cut out of the top paper layer of the substrate. 

The Central Bank of The Bahamas was first to specify RAPID HD Detect after its introduction in December 2020. The technology builds on a modern, IR-based approach for machine verification and has been developed jointly with Crane Payment Innovations (CPI), the world leader in automated cash acceptance.  

Sir Stafford Sands

The $10 banknote was printed by Crane Currency on Durasafe®, a paper-polymer-paper composite substrate produced by Swiss company Landqart. 

The design resembles its predecessor with the portraits Sir Stafford Sands, a former Minister of Finance of The Bahamas, together with images of elder flower, a lighthouse and flamingos. 

Click here to see a video of the upgraded 10 dollar banknote with RAPID HD Detect – and here for more information about the new $100 and CRISP series