Security features of banknotes

The Central Bank of st1:country-region>Iceland has exclusive rights to issue currency in Iceland. One way in which the Central Bank emphasises the integrity of Icelandic currency is through the use of various security features in banknotes. Security features make notes easier to recognise and more difficult to counterfeit.

Security features have been used in banknotes for hundreds of years. The hand-written signature was one of the first security features and many others have since been added, such as specially processed paper, watermarks, security threads and intaglio printing. In recent years central banks have issued new notes with a wider, even more sophisticated range of security features. Others have upgraded their earlier notes with the same aim. The following table shows the security features of Icelandic banknotes that are in circulation today.