Glossary

A component in a mixture (such as ink) that provides two distinctive emission spectra when excited by two different wavelengths.

A system used to produce void pantographs. Consists of two-dot patterns of differing sizes that allow a desired message or image to appear when an original document is copied. The system plays off the physical limitations of the optical systems in copiers and scanners. The little dots are sized below the optical resolution and thereby disappear when copied, while the larger dots are preserved and subsequently stand out visually.

Large, well-established technology companies that provide financial products and services, or products very similar to these, and that can include crypto products.

A low-grade alloy used for some minor coin issues, usually consisting of a mixture of silver and copper, and sometimes coated with a silver wash.

Bimetallic coins consist of two metals or alloys that are bonded together, generally arranged with an outer ring around a contrasting centre. Trimetallic coins refer to coins with three rings made of three different metals or alloys.

A monetary standard in which the value of the monetary unit is defined as equivalent to certain quantities of two metals, normally gold and silver, which are independently used as legal tender, but in a fixed exchange ratio to one another.

Attributes of a person or their life that are not biological or behavioural (biometric), and that cannot be measured. This includes information such as name, sex, age, nationality.

Authenticating a claim on identity by matching a captured biometric to a stored one.

A biological (fingerprint, face, iris) or behavioural (gait, handwriting, signature, keystrokes) attribute of an individual that can be used for biometric recognition.

An attribute of the person held on a record that can be measured and against which the bearer of an ID document can be tested, such as fingerprint, face and iris.

The science and technology of measuring and statistically analysing biological data.

A phenomenon exhibited by certain materials in which an incident ray of light is split into two rays, called an ordinary ray and an extraordinary ray, which are plane-(linear) polarised in mutually orthogonal planes, or circular-polarised in opposite directions (left and right).

Bitcoin is commonly referred to as a cryptocurrency, a digital means of exchange. It was developed by a set of anonymous authors under the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto, and began operating in 2009 as a community project, without any relationship with or dependency on any government, state, company or body. The value of bitcoin is formed by a complicated system of mathematical algorithms and cryptography and it is not supported by any central bank or authority. Bitcoins are essentially accounting entries in a large database called a blockchain, which is unique but replicated in millions of computers connected to the internet. Bitcoins can be exchanged almost instantaneously for any currency and can be used for payment. The system has numerous pros and cons, and many central banks insist that bitcoin is not a currency but a highly speculative and high-risk asset. In reality it is reasonably quick and easy to buy cryptocurrencies but the exchanges make it harder and costlier to sell them.

The fraudulent act of connecting an unauthorised device to an automated teller machine in order to bypass security measures and gain access to cash. It is a type of cyber attack in which the attacker has little or no prior knowledge of the internal workings of the target system.

A piece of coin-shaped metal that is stamped and made into a coin.

A printing method consisting of two blanket cylinders through which a sheet of paper is passed and printed on both sides.

A diffraction grating which has a sawtooth profile structure.

Security ink containing dyes which, in combination with a solvent, penetrates the paper substrate so that any attempt at mechanical erasure will cause visible damage to the document.

A method of creating a raised design without the use of ink. Typically, two metal dies are used for this process: one with raised detail, and another with matching but recessed detail.

In the pharmaceutical context, a plastic or laminate tray with separate wells for each pill, sealed with blister foil.

A timestamped series of immutable records of data that are managed by a cluster of computers as a distributed ledger that is not owned by any single entity. The blocks of data are secured and bound to each other using cryptographic principles. A permissioned blockchain, defined in this glossary, can be owned by a single entity. For example, JPMcoin is owned by JPMorgan. There are now a wide range of examples of this type of blockchain.

Rules that dictate how computers in a network verify new transactions and add them to the blockchain database.

An integrated process for forming plastic containers such as bottles and vials, filling them (often aseptically) and then sealing them without human intervention.

A short-range wireless technology standard used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks.

A wireless network of wearable devices.

A type of a document construction in the form of a folded set of sheets or sections which are formed as a single/multiple booklet.

A term used to describe a pharmaceutical tracking approach with (usually) only two main points of control at the beginning and end of the supply chain (like bookends holding up books on a shelf). Developed as a pragmatic solution to implementing tracking in a complex multi-stakeholder distribution environment.

Primarily denotes bank account balances.

The diffractive principle by which a layered stack of parallel reflecting surfaces of alternate higher and lower refractive index will reflect a beam of light, only when the reflected wavefronts are of an appropriate wavelength and orientation to produce constructive interference.

Any hologram in which the Bragg condition is preferential to the grating condition in forming the image. See also Volume hologram.

Text readable by touch, consisting of raised dots. Often used on cardboard outer packs and mandatory in some jurisdictions.

A trademark or distinctive name that identifies a particular product or manufacturer.

The overall worth of a brand, including its tangible and intangible assets. Represents both the reputation and the value of a brand as a whole, as well as the sum of its individual parts.

The organisation that owns the specifications of a trade item, regardless of where and by whom it is manufactured.

The measures companies take to safeguard their brand against counterfeit products, unauthorised use of trademarks, and other forms of infringement.

Identificaton documents used as a foundation for creating other forms of personal verification. The most well-known breeder document is a birth certificate, but other breeder documents include marriage, and death certificates.

Ten straps of banknotes are commonly called a brick.

The raised areas of paper between the windows of a security thread.

A conglomerate of small chunks of shredded banknotes compressed or stuck together by the use of a binder. Banknotes not fit for circulation are destroyed in this way, and the compacting of the notes into briquettes facilitates the handling of this waste.

Currency issued by a subsequently defunct bank. Also referred to as obsolete banknote.

A project delivery method where a private entity receives a concession from the public sector to finance, design, construct, own, and operate a facility stated in the concession contract. This enables the project proponent to recover its investment, operating and maintenance expenses in the project. BOT is usually used in public–private partnerships.

Physical gold, silver, or other precious metals of high purity, often kept in the form of bars, ingots, or coins. Bullion can sometimes be considered legal tender, and is often held as reserves by central banks or institutional investors. Bullion products are considered investment products and are traded at the daily price for the metal they contain.

A set of normally five or 10 banknote straps of usually 100 notes each.

A form of surface preparation on proof or uncirculated coin blanks, using steel balls and detergent to remove any unwanted water marks from the surface of the blank.

The process of using hard pressure rollers to finish, glaze or smooth a sheet of material such as paper, textiles, or plastics.

Refers to how energy moves between conductive elements separated by insulators. Capacitive touchscreens, found on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, are made up of multiple layers of glass and plastic, coated with a conductor material like indium tin oxide or conductive polymers. This conductive material responds when in contact with another electrical conductor, like a bare human finger.

A packaging unit of tobacco products. One carton usually contains 10 packs (or 200 individual cigarettes).

Traditional term used to describe money in physical form such as banknotes and coins. Starting to be used to describe value held in a digital format.

Processing centre for large volumes of cash, often in facilities with special security and logistic characteristics. Cash centres can be operated by a central bank or a commercial entity (usually a bank or cash-in-transit company).

Represents the various stages of the cash lifecycle, from issuance by the central bank, circulation in the economy, to destruction by the central bank.