Latest News

Security Begins Below the Surface – and Extends Far Beyond

For decades, tax stamp programmes have relied on multiple layers of overt, covert and forensic security to protect government revenues and combat illicit trade. Yet, as counterfeiters become increasingly adept at reproducing certain visible security features and copying digital identifiers, the importance of those layered defences is growing.

LIQUI MOLY Deploys Non-Copyable QR Codes to Combat Fake Lubricants

German lubricant manufacturer LIQUI MOLY has introduced a new anticounterfeiting system based on non-copyable QR codes. The system, developed by authentic.network, is being rolled out across LIQUI MOLY's global product portfolio and is designed to allow distributors, workshops and consumers to verify the authenticity of engine oils using a standard smartphone.

Alitheon Accelerates ‘Biometrics of Things’ Rollout

Alitheon, an optical AI technology provider, based in Washington, USA, has raised $8 million in Series A1 funding to accelerate deployment of its FeaturePrint® technology, a system that identifies and authenticates physical objects using their own inherent surface characteristics rather than external labels, tags or markings.

The Gambia Moves to Real-Time Monitoring of Telecom Tax Revenues

The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) and Public Utilities Regulatory Authority have signed an escrow account agreement that clears the way for the implementation of a revenue assurance system for the country’s telecommunications sector.

News in Brief

In the printer consumables market, counterfeit ink bottles are often designed to closely resemble genuine products, making them difficult to distinguish for customers. To address this issue and gain better visibility across its distribution channels, Epson has partnered with the KURZ SCRIBOS brand to implement an integrated brand protection solution across Southeast Asia.

From ‘Made in China’ to ‘Brands from China’

Over the past four decades, China has undergone one of the most significant industrial transformations of the modern era, evolving from the ‘factory floor of the world’ to a country focused on building global brands.

South Africa Revives National Track and Trace Plans to Tackle Illicit Trade

Six years after its first serious attempt to introduce a tobacco track and trace system, South Africa is once again signalling its intention to implement track and trace, this time under the leadership of the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and as part of a broader strategy to combat illicit trade across multiple sectors.

Interview with HM Revenue & Customs: UK’s New Vaping Duty Stamp

In October 2026, the UK will introduce an advanced fiscal marking system for vaping products. The new Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme combines a secure physical stamp with digital tracking and public authentication tools, creating a ‘phygital’ (physical and digital) system designed to support the supply chain, tax collection, consumer protection and enforcement.

Bangladesh to Deploy Counting Cameras and QR Codes to Curb Illicit Tobacco

Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan has said strict monitoring to curb tax evasion will begin with the tobacco sector.

Cargo Tracking System: Pakistan’s Digital Offensive Against Smuggling and Tax Evasion

Pakistan is undertaking one of the most significant trade-monitoring reforms in its history with the introduction of a nationwide cargo tracking system (CTS). The initiative is designed to replace the country’s paper-based transport documentation with a fully digital platform capable of monitoring the movement of goods from origin to destination in near real time.

Sansara Acquires Advanced Track & Trace to Build European Leader in Connected Packaging

Sansara, the digital traceability subsidiary of Maison Neyret, has acquired Advanced Track & Trace (ATT) and entered into a strategic partnership with Pochet Group.

Seaborough’s LUMICRYPT Engineers Unique Luminescent Fingerprints

Security printing has always borrowed optical phenomena from physics and chemistry, and few of these phenomena are as useful as luminescence. A luminescent ‘phosphor’ is an inorganic material that can soak up light of one colour, often ultraviolet (UV), and then re-emit it at another, usually visible, colour. In a banknote or secure document, that behaviour becomes a controlled ‘signal’. Under normal lighting, the ink may look unremarkable, but under a defined UV lamp it produces a distinctive glow that is easy to spot and, importantly, can be measured.

NAGRAVISION and Harmonic Launch Watermarking-as-a-Service for Live Events

NAGRAVISION, a leading independent provider of content protection and media entertainment solutions, has launched a fully managed, event-based watermarking-as-a-service solution with Harmonic, a video delivery technology company.

Natural Branding: When the Product Becomes the Label

The idea that a product can authenticate itself has long fascinated the security and traceability industry. In sectors ranging from banknotes and identity documents to luxury goods and pharmaceuticals, technology providers have increasingly explored the use of intrinsic physical characteristics as a means of authentication – turning naturally occurring randomness into a unique fingerprint.

Sri Lanka Credits Tax Stamps with 60% Rise in Alcohol Excise Revenue

The Excise Department of Sri Lanka says excise revenue from alcoholic beverages has increased by more than 60% since the introduction of tax stamps on liquor bottles in 2022.

News in Brief

Australia is stepping up its response to identity crime through the Credential Protection Register (CPR), a national capability designed to stop stolen or compromised identity document details being misused in everyday verification checks.

Cargo Tracking System: Pakistan’s Digital Offensive Against Smuggling and Tax Evasion

Pakistan is undertaking one of the most significant trade-monitoring reforms in its history with the introduction of a nationwide cargo tracking system (CTS). The initiative is designed to replace the country’s paper-based transport documentation with a fully digital platform capable of monitoring the movement of goods from origin to destination in near real time.

Luminochem LUREDBN25: The Balanced Red for Security Printing

NovaVera Crystallography: Closing the Gap in Taggant Performance

At the recent High Security Printing™ EMEA conference, in Rabat, Morocco, the technology and innovation session highlighted notable advances in the field of authentication. These included a new class of inorganic taggants for digital and conventional printing processes, presented by Josh Collins of NovaVera.

Seaborough’s LUMICRYPT Engineers Unique Luminescent Fingerprints

Security printing has always borrowed optical phenomena from physics and chemistry, and few of these phenomena are as useful as luminescence. A luminescent ‘phosphor’ is an inorganic material that can soak up light of one colour, often ultraviolet (UV), and then re-emit it at another, usually visible, colour. In a banknote or secure document, that behaviour becomes a controlled ‘signal’. Under normal lighting, the ink may look unremarkable, but under a defined UV lamp it produces a distinctive glow that is easy to spot and, importantly, can be measured.