(Business in Cameroon) – The Central Bank of Central African States (BEAC) said on Wednesday that recent seizures of fake banknotes and the dismantling of counterfeiting networks do not pose a threat to the region’s currency.
In a September 17 statement, the central bank said that the reported counterfeiting of its new “Type 2020” banknotes represents a “very low, even negligible, proportion compared to the volume of BEAC notes in circulation.” The bank maintains that the new notes are unfalsifiable due to reinforced security features based on cutting-edge technology. “None of the security features of the new banknotes have been successfully reproduced by counterfeiters,” the institution said.
Analyses conducted by the BEAC’s counterfeit laboratory confirm that the fake notes seized by law enforcement are merely simple color copies made on office paper, lacking any genuine security features. The bank urged its institutional clients and the public to remain vigilant, recommending they systematically check for public security and authentication features. These are illustrated in the “BEAC NG2020” mobile app, available on the App Store, Google Play, and the institution’s official website.
The Type 2020 banknotes feature several layers of security. Some are visible when held up to the light, such as a watermark of the BEAC logo and a dark line with the CEMAC acronym. Other features can be felt by touch, including the raised-print denomination value and a tactile sign for the visually impaired, which consists of one to five raised lines depending on whether the note is 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, or 10,000 XAF.
BRM
