Owner: Monetary Authority of Singapore
PROJECT TEAM:
Printer: Oberthur Fiduciaire
Substrate: Guardian™ by CCL Secure
KINEGRAM registered Stripe by KURZ
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) launched a $20 currency note to commemorate Singapore’s Bicentennial in June 2019. The commemorative note depicts Singapore’s journey to nationhood and pays tribute to our forebears who laid the foundations for modern Singapore. The commemorative note received unexpectedly strong demand, and all two million pieces were exchanged by the public within one week of issuance. In view of the strong demand, MAS issued an additional two million notes in November 2019 which also achieved a high take-up rate of 95%.
The note features a registered security stripe with KINEGRAM COLORS® technology and the novel FLUX effect. The stripe depicts the ‘20’ denomination, Singapore Coat of Arms, Singapore Bicentennial logo, and the years ‘1819’ and ‘2019’ in a multitude of effects. The security stripe on the Singapore Bicentennial commemorative note achieved two world’s firsts – it marks the first time that a security stripe is applied on a fully offset-printed polymer substrate (application of security stripes is traditionally only done on transparent windows of polymer substrate), and a KINEGRAM COLORS® with FLUX is prominently featured on a currency note as a key security feature.
The front of the commemorative note features a portrait of Mr Yusof Ishak, Singapore’s first President, alongside the former Supreme Court and City Hall, which are now the National Gallery Singapore. These two national monuments witnessed many key events in Singapore’s passage to nationhood, including the swearing-in of the state government in 1963 and Singapore’s first national day parade in 1966. The back of the note showcases eight pioneering individuals who were part of a broad cast who arrived from different lands and made significant contributions to nation building in diverse areas ranging from education, culture and community service to sports and defending Singapore. The eight individuals are portrayed against a backdrop of the old Singapore River, flowing into present-day Singapore. The river was at the heart of Singapore’s development as a trading port, and later its transformation into a business and financial hub.
