Ignis: The banknote of the future - winner of the IACA Excellence in Currency Award 2024
Find out more about the award -winning banknote of the future, Ignis, presented by Bundesdruckerei GmbH at the Banknote Conference. With a bridge between analog and digital world and sustainable production, this innovative banknote could become an important addition to digital means of payment. Read the article for more information.

Ignis: The banknote of the future - winner of the IACA Excellence in Currency Award 2024
The Bundesdruckerei GmbH presented its new banknote of the future at the Banknote Conference in Fort Worth, USA. The IGnis from the Exnihilo model banknot series was developed in cooperation with national and international partners in the Siralab Innovation Association. It is the first banknote that is printed on black banknote paper and establishes a connection between analog and digital world.
The increasing cashless payment in the form of plastic cards, smartphone apps, smartwatches and cryptocurrencies has led to the fact that the cash is becoming increasingly important. In order to counteract this development, the Bundesdruckerei developed the Exnihilo series that linked digital and analogous means of payment. The Ignis Banknote addresses the question of how the banknote of the future should be designed when digital currencies are introduced.
The Siralab initiative consists of industrial partners and is committed to sustainability, innovation, recycling and action. The black Exnihilo notes are particularly forgery due to their dark color. The production is not made from bleached cotton fibers, but from old and recycled banknotes. As a result, many of the around 160 billion banknotes produced worldwide could be recycled.
Another innovation of the Ignis Banknote is the highly safe and extremely thin chip that is embedded in the paper. This chip can be used for an additional security check by communicating with an app on the smartphone or a reader in a bank. The banknotes of the Exnihilo series could thus be an important addition to the digital central bank money and ensure the privacy and anonymity of cash.
The Federal Printing sees the Exnihilo series a way to use the advantages of classic banknotes even in a digital central bank currency. The chip in paper enables everyone to provide a kind of wallet with a digital central bank money without a smartphone or bank account.
The Siralab initiative will continue to advance advanced concepts in the field of banknote development. Three other sample bank grades of the Exnihilo series will be presented at industry events in the future.
Table:
| Exnihilo series | Ignis Banknote |
| —————- | ————– |
| Pressure on black banknote paper | Yes |
| Connection between analog and digital world | Yes |
| Facility security through dark coloring | Yes |
| Manufacture of recycled banknotes possible | Yes |
| High -proof chip in paper | Yes |
| Use as a supplement to the digital central bank money | Yes |
| Promotion of financial inclusion | Yes |
| More sample banknotes in planning Yes |
Source: bundesdruckerei GmbH/ots