Here it isthe speech of Mr. Petar Chobanov, Deputy Governor of the BNB, Head of Banking Department, at the opening of the “High Security Printing EMEA” conference, Grand Hotel Millennium, Sofia, March 4-6, 2024.
First of all, I would like to welcome you to Bulgaria and in particular to Sofia – our country has a very rich history and culture and I would be happy if you have the opportunity to get to know our past, traditions and cuisine.
I also want to express my gratitude to the organizers and sponsors for the opportunity to welcome you to this conference, which will focus on certain and government-issued documents – currency, fiduciary documents, excise stamps, ID cards, electronic passports, visas, etc. n.
I truly believe that this conference is one of the best places where one can discover new ways to protect banknotes and government documents, learn about the latest products, innovations and security features, exchange ideas with the industry, and at the same time learn some practical lessons through best practice examples.
The Bulgarian National Bank has rich traditions as an institution and as an issuer of banknotes and coins. The bank itself was established in 1879, immediately after the establishment of the Third Bulgarian State in 1878, which makes the BNB one of the oldest central banks in the world – the 13th in order of establishment.
The first Coinage Act was promulgated in 1880, and in 1885 the first banknotes were issued. The first Bulgarian banknotes were printed abroad – Great Britain, the USA, Germany and Russia, but since 1924, after the establishment of the State Printing Office, the printing of banknotes began in the country. In the period after World War II until the 1990s, Bulgarian banknotes were again printed abroad. In 1994, the BNB Printing Office was established, and in the period 1999-2013, all Bulgarian banknotes were printed in the country. In 2014, the BNB established a joint venture between the BNB Printing House and the security printing company Obertur Fiducier.
Thus, in 2018, a new series of banknotes was issued, starting with the 100 BGN, in which the long-standing Bulgarian experience related to the secure seal is woven. In addition, this issue received the award for the best new banknote of 2019, which is a very high praise for our work – for the implementation of optimal security elements, such as RollingStar LEAD stripe, SPARK Live security element, Avalon, Securicoat, three-dimensional water sign, and many others.
In addition, Bulgaria was among the first countries to ratify in 1930 the International Convention for the Suppression of Counterfeiting Money of 1929.
The Bulgarian National Bank implements a consistent policy to prevent and counter the spread of counterfeit banknotes and coins on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, and in this regard we support initiatives for the exchange of information between the BNB and the national competent authorities, as well as the competent authorities of other countries.
Thank you for your attention!
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