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All Advanced Materials Associations Authentication Brand Protection Case Studies Companies Consumer & Industrial Products Countries Covert & Forensic Security Document Protection Editorials Enforcement & Surveillance Events Excise Products Free Government Illicit Trade Interviews News Overt Security Regulations Reports & Studies Standards Strategies Sustainability Tax & Revenue Tax Stamps Technology & Systems Tenders Track and Trace

Nicola Sudan

25 March 2026

1 min read

Smithers Declares a New Era of Security Printing

According to a new market report by security printing consultancy firm Smithers, the global security printing sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation, driven by accelerating technology, stricter regulation, and shifting geopolitics.

Reports & Studies

Nicola Sudan

25 March 2026

5 min read

Unlocking Africa’s $64 Billion Excise Revenue Opportunity

This article provides a summary of the chapter ‘The Growing Potential of Excise Taxation as a Source of Domestic Revenue Mobilisation in the Context of the African Continental Free Trade Area’, recently published in the European Yearbook of International Economic Law.

Tax & Revenue Track and Trace

Nicola Sudan

25 March 2026

3 min read

From Hallmarks to Hybrid Authentication

For centuries, hallmarking has served a simple but powerful purpose: to assure buyers that a precious metal item is exactly what it claims to be. In Portugal, that responsibility sits with Imprensa Nacional – Casa da Moeda (INCM), whose Contrastaria assay offices continue to apply official marks to gold, silver, platinum and palladium articles.

Authentication Track and Trace

Nicola Sudan

25 March 2026

5 min read

How Variable Identifiers on Tax Stamps Have Evolved from Stamp Control to Product Identity

At first glance, the small variable code printed on a tax stamp or excise label may appear to serve a single purpose: identifying the stamp. In reality, however, these codes have evolved into one of the most powerful tools available to governments for controlling excisable goods. Depending on how a system is designed, the same printed code can perform roles ranging from simple stamp inventory management to full production monitoring and supply chain traceability.

Tax Stamps Track and Trace

Francisco Mandiola

25 March 2026

4 min read

From Birth to Steak – The Fascinating World of Bovine Traceability

Traceability in the cattle sector, once limited to basic ear tags for visual identification, has evolved into fully integrated birth-to-beef traceability systems, marking a profound transformation in global agri-food governance. However, the effectiveness of traceability systems is ultimately defined by financial implications and producer needs.

Track and Trace

Chander S Jeena

25 March 2026

2 min read

Labels That Authenticate… Then Dissolve

Researchers at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in South Korea have developed an eco-friendly smart security label that combines colour-based verification with holographic authentication. This sustainable alternative to conventional security labels can dissolve completely in water, leaving no trace.

Advanced Materials

Nicola Sudan

25 March 2026

1 min read

Schreiner MediPharm Launches Vial Security Label

Schreiner MediPharm, a business unit of the Germany-based Schreiner Group, has launched Cap-Lock for Vials, a functional label developed in cooperation with CDMO OechslerHealth. The label provides both analogue and digital first-opening indication for pharmaceutical vials.

Brand Protection Consumer & Industrial Products

Nicola Sudan

25 March 2026

4 min read

Counterfeiting in India – A Market Flooded with Fakes

The scale and persistence of counterfeiting in India’s consumer markets has once again been laid bare, with the release of the ‘State of Counterfeiting in India 2025’ report by the Authentication Solution Providers’ Association (ASPA), in collaboration with CRISIL Intelligence. Launched at TAF Connect 2026, the study provides one of the most comprehensive snapshots to date of how counterfeit goods are infiltrating supply chains, reshaping consumer behaviour, and challenging enforcement efforts across the country.

Countries Reports & Studies

Aftab Baloch

25 March 2026

3 min read

Sri Lanka’s Excise Control System Leaves Tobacco Behind

Sri Lanka’s approach to excise control tells a story of uneven progress. In the alcohol sector, a combination of secure tax stamps, digital verification tools and emerging system-wide reforms has created a robust framework for revenue protection and market oversight. In contrast, tobacco remains outside this ecosystem, with no equivalent system in place – despite Sri Lanka having ratified the WHO Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. This divergence highlights a significant gap in the country’s otherwise evolving excise control architecture.

Countries Excise Products

Francisco Mandiola

25 March 2026

2 min read

Chile new chief

In March, a week before the inauguration of José Antonio Kast’s presidential administration in Chile, Jorge Trujillo was appointed director of the country’s tax authority, Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII).

Countries

Chander S Jeena

17 March 2026

1 min read

Guatemala to Host HSP Latin America 2026, Registration and Award Entries Now Open

Reconnaissance, publishers of Holography & Optical Technology News™ and organisers of the High Security Printing™ (HSP) conferences, has opened registration for the 13th HSP Latin America, taking place 1-3 June 2026 in The Westin Camino Real, Guatemala City. Programme details will be announced soon.

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

3 min read

Diamond Dust is a Label’s Best Friend

Securikett, a provider of tamper-evident security labels and brand protection products, has announced a strategic partnership with Dust Identity, a provider of physical-to-digital identity technology.

Advanced Materials

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

4 min read

News In Brief

RxERP, a cloud-hosted, pharmaceutical-first ERP platform, and p-Chip Corp, a provider of light-activated microtransponder tags and software for secure digital identity, have entered into a licensing agreement to integrate p-Chip’s embedded identity technology into the RxERP platform.

Authentication Covert & Forensic Security News

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

6 min read

On The Record with Dave Coombe, Crane Authentication’s New Leader

Last year, Crane NXT launched its new brand identity, Crane Authentication, bringing together the strengths of De La Rue Authentication, the Smart Packaging assets of TruTag Technologies, and OpSec Security, under a unified authentication platform.

Interviews

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

3 min read

What Does Cannabis ‘Pharma Shift’ Mean for US Traceability Systems?

On 18 December 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing the US Attorney General to expedite the reclassification of marijuana from a Schedule I drug (high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use) to a Schedule III drug (moderate potential for abuse and acknowledged as having medical use).

Excise Products Regulations Track and Trace

Sven Bergmann

4 March 2026

6 min read

Illicit Tobacco in 2026: Entrenched, Expanding, and Reshaping Global Markets

The global illicit tobacco trade in 2026 has evolved into a mature and deeply embedded parallel supply chain that operates across continents with industrial manufacturing capacity, established logistics corridors, and retail distribution networks that reach directly into consumer markets. This allows organized criminal groups to manufacture, transport, and sell illicit cigarettes and vape products at scale while avoiding taxation, regulatory compliance, and product safety requirements that legitimate manufacturers must meet.

Excise Products Illicit Trade

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

2 min read

AM-PG Unveils ‘Smallest Vero Code Ever’ and ‘Cognitive Tax Shield’

AM-PG Group, the longstanding provider of high-security tax stamps on more than 30 different products in Armenia, has launched a microscopic version of its proprietary, serialised Vero Code technology. This 3D barcode measures just 0.5mm-1mm and embeds directly into the holograms of AM-PG’s Vero Seal solution.

Technology & Systems

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

5 min read

Production Monitoring in Pakistan – From Cigarettes to Day-Old Chicks!

Although Pakistan is still grappling with the nationwide rollout and effective enforcement of its tax stamp and production monitoring system – introduced in 2021 on tobacco products, sugar, cement and fertiliser – the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has now turned its attention to extending a similar system to other sectors at high risk of tax evasion – including tiles, tyres, iron and steel, cotton bales, beverages... and day-old chicks!

Countries Strategies Track and Trace

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

3 min read

Helix-Lock – The Case for Hybrid Tax Stamps

In an era where illicit trade adapts as quickly as enforcement evolves, one question facing revenue authorities is how to secure excise products in a way that balances public recognition, operational efficiency, and long-term resilience.

Tax Stamps

Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

1 min read

ITSA Takes Aim at Fake Tax Stamps Sold Online

In today’s hyper-connected global marketplace, fake tax stamps and security markings are made accessible by criminals on non-law-abiding internet platforms, particularly in regions where enforcement is weak and cross-border e-commerce flourishes.

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Latest News

Smithers Declares a New Era of Security Printing

Unlocking Africa’s $64 Billion Excise Revenue Opportunity

From Hallmarks to Hybrid Authentication

How Variable Identifiers on Tax Stamps Have Evolved from Stamp Control to Product Identity

From Birth to Steak – The Fascinating World of Bovine Traceability

Labels That Authenticate… Then Dissolve

Schreiner MediPharm Launches Vial Security Label

Counterfeiting in India – A Market Flooded with Fakes

Sri Lanka’s Excise Control System Leaves Tobacco Behind

Chile new chief

Guatemala to Host HSP Latin America 2026, Registration and Award Entries Now Open

Diamond Dust is a Label’s Best Friend

News In Brief

On The Record with Dave Coombe, Crane Authentication’s New Leader

What Does Cannabis ‘Pharma Shift’ Mean for US Traceability Systems?

Illicit Tobacco in 2026: Entrenched, Expanding, and Reshaping Global Markets

AM-PG Unveils ‘Smallest Vero Code Ever’ and ‘Cognitive Tax Shield’

Production Monitoring in Pakistan – From Cigarettes to Day-Old Chicks!

Helix-Lock – The Case for Hybrid Tax Stamps

ITSA Takes Aim at Fake Tax Stamps Sold Online

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