Polymer banknote
Billete de polímero
- Date
- 1988 · confidence high
- Place
- Note Printing Australia, Craigieburn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Credited to
- Reserve Bank of Australia and CSIRO
- Field
- Matter & energy
What it is
A banknote made of biaxially oriented polypropylene with a transparent window and other security features that are hard to forge. It lasts several times longer than paper notes and is now used by dozens of countries.
The project began in 1968 after a wave of forgeries; the first note was the commemorative 10-dollar note of 1988.
What it led to
- plastic banknotes in the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries
- reduced counterfeiting