Banknotes, they print less but increase the false ones: here are the most at risk cuts
In 2024 the production of banknotes in the euro area fell by 26%, with Italy that contributed to 19% of the total. But the number of counterfeit tickets has increased: the cuts of 20 and 50 euros favorites from the liesaries
Less euros printed by the Bank of Italy and more false banknotes in circulation. Scrolling through the annual report of the Central Institute, it turns out that 2024 marked a flexion of 26% in the production of banknotes in the via Tuscolana plant, in Rome: only 687 million pieces, a figure that corresponds to 19% of the total area of the euro). This flexion, however, is accompanied by an alarming data: the surge of counterfeit tickets put into circulation.
The reason for the drop
The drop in the demand for banknotes is due to a lower request from the central bank, as a consequence of the economic crisis that followed the pandemic from Covid and the exponential growth of electronic transactions. The decrease in Italian paper production follows, in reality, a European trend that has seen a generalized decrease in the number of tickets with a cut of 20 and 50 euros. These cuts, on the other hand, are the favorites from the liesaries.
In 2024, 121 thousand fake tickets in Italy
In 2024, counterfeit tickets in Italy (especially from 20 and 50, in fact) they went up to 121,111 compared to 104,669 of 2023. But if we widen our EU’s gaze, the false banknotes identified and removed from circulation in 2024 were 554 thousand. Compared to the previous year, it is about 90 thousand pieces that are not valid, for what continues to be an increasing phenomenon. However, the ECB does not alarmed: « In 2024 18 counterfeits were detected for million authentic banknotes in circulation », which can be considered a « very low » counterfeiting rate.
The investigations
The problem is that the progress in banknotes safety techniques, in fact, have become sophisticated and allow the putting into circulation of fakes increasingly difficult to identify with traditional methods. Meanwhile, Bankitalia has sent the inspectors to carry out investigations on 80 banks for the verification of compliance of 948 selection equipment installed
At 347 counters and inspections were conducted on 4 non -financial operators to ascertain compliance with the legislation on the treatment of banknotes and the provisions on anti -money laundering. The inspections was accompanied by the remote control activity on operators to verify compliance with the provisions on the recirculation of false and worn banknotes and anti -money laundering. Eleven operators were invited to adopt corrective measures against anomalies found in the context of the controls
inspections or distance.
