Thursday, November 10, 2016

Security elements of New RMB Bills

The new RMB bills with the fortified device for preventing forgery and falsification were issued in November 2015. Only the 100 RMB bills were newly issued.

The new and old bills are compared:


<The old bill as above and the new bill as below>


The front of new bill is added with a partially exposed silver line that changes its color by the viewing angle.



The number '100' indicating the denomination in the center was also changed from a generic design to an OVI(Optical Variable Ink) type which changes its color by the viewing angle(from copper to green).


The serial number at the edge on the right of the bill reacts to fluorescence. The small number '100' at the lower part on the left appears in perfect form only under light.



Other than slight design change, the back of the bill is similar to the old one in therms of the security element.

The new bill with the fortified device for preventing forgery and falsification was the effort of the Chinese government to improve confidence in the RMB bills ahead of the globalization, but it was caught up in controversy in March 2016 where counterfeit bills of the new bill were found. Following the issuance of new bills, the counterfeit of old bills were also in circulation and the number of counterfeit bills uncovered is increasing. This matter requires caution for foreign tourists and visitors in China.