Hryvnia Banknotes Counterfeiting Level Down 3.2 Times In 2022

According to the results of 2022, the level of counterfeiting of national currency banknotes decreased 3.2 times.

This is stated in the NBU message, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

So, according to the results of last year, 1 million pieces of real hryvnia banknotes accounted for about 2.2 fake banknotes (according to the results of 2021 - about 7.1 banknotes).

According to the information of the European Central Bank, this figure in the European Union in 2022 is almost six times higher and amounted to approximately 13 euro banknotes (at the end of 2021 - 12 banknotes).

Most often in 2022, old-style banknotes were forged, in particular, the majority (92%) of counterfeit banknotes withdrawn from circulation fell on banknotes of three denominations:

- UAH 500 (39% of the total number of counterfeits seized and 57% of their total amount);

- UAH 200 (45% and 26%, respectively);

- UAH 100 (8% and 2%, respectively).

Other counterfeit banknotes seized from circulation in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 1,000 hryvnia amounted to only 8%.

As a result, according to the results of monitoring in 2022, counterfeits of hryvnia banknotes of a new sample account for only 11% of the total number of counterfeits seized in the banking system of Ukraine.

Accordingly, for 1 million real hryvnia banknotes of the new sample, the number of counterfeit banknotes was only 0.2, because the banknotes of the national currency of the new generation (denominations 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 hryvnia, which the National Bank brought into circulation in 2015-2020) have an enhanced protection system.

In particular, innovative optically variable security elements are used to protect high-denomination banknotes, which are easy for citizens to verify, and it is extremely difficult for attackers to recreate.

Among the counterfeit foreign currency banknotes withdrawn from circulation in 2022 were dominated by:

- U.S. dollars (91% of the total number of all seized counterfeit foreign currency banknotes);

- euro (8%).

Most often, criminals forged foreign banknotes of the following denominations:

- USD 50 and USD 100 (23% and 76% of the total number of counterfeit dollars seized, respectively);

- EUR 50 and EUR 100 (26% and 28% of the total number of counterfeit euros seized).

For the most part, counterfeit banknotes of the national currency withdrawn from circulation were of poor quality and were designed for the inattention of citizens and cash workers of trade institutions.

It is noted that knowledge of the elements of protection of hryvnia banknotes and their careful verification during calculations guarantee minimization of risks for obtaining forgeries.

The protection elements available on hryvnia banknotes make it possible to detect counterfeit banknotes during their careful visual and tactile control without the use of special equipment.

In case of doubts about the authenticity of hryvnia and foreign currency banknotes, citizens can apply to banks that transfer these banknotes for research to the National Bank of Ukraine.

Based on the results of such studies, carried out free of charge, customers are reimbursed for the corresponding amount of currency notes recognized as genuine.

Foreign currency banknotes recognized as genuine are returned to the holder.

Counterfeit banknotes are seized without reimbursing their value.

The National Bank informs the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine about their seizure, all counterfeit banknotes are duly transferred to their authorized employees for investigations.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, from January 1, 2023, the National Bank began to gradually withdraw paper banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 100 hryvnias of 2003-2007 (previous generation).