A hybrid paper-polymer banknote or Composite Substrate is a banknote made from a mixture of paper and polymer substance.
Hybrid banknotes are essentially a paper banknote with a polymer patch. A polymer patch/band is applied vertically over the entire height of paper banknote, thus creating a clear window. The height of the polymer window generally measures 74 mm depending on the height of the banknote × 16 mm. Its thickness is 25 microns. Bulgaria was the first country to produce a hybrid paper polymer banknote, in a denomination of 20 Bulgarian Leva in 2005.[1]
Manufactures of hybrid banknotes include Giesecke+Devrient's Hybrid[2] and Varifeye,[3] De La Rue's Optiks,[4] Louisenthal's Hybrid,[5] Landqart AG's DuraSafe[6] and Banque de France's EverFit.[7]
The countries and monetary unions which use hybrid banknotes include:
- Armenia[8]
- Russia[9]
- Morocco[10]
- Qatar[11]
- Switzerland[12]
- Burundi[13]
- Jamaica[14]
- Eswatini[15]
- Tonga[16]
- South Africa[17]
- Seychelles[18]
- Lesotho[19]
- Bermuda[20]
- Oman[21]
- Bulgaria[1]
- Fiji[1]
- United Kingdom (Scotland)[22]
- Kazakhstan[1]
- Iceland[23]
- Iraq[24]
- the EU[25]
- Bhutan[26]
- Madagascar[27]
- Mauritania[28]
- Tajikistan[29]
- Zimbabwe[30]
- Bahamas[31]
- Latvia[1]
- Solomon Islands[32]
- Papua New Guinea[33]
- Cambodia[34]
- Comoros[35]
- UAE[36]
- C.CFA[37]
- Suriname[38]
- Malaysia[39]
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