Counterfeit banknotes circulating in BiH: Most counterfeited denominations identified

(Patria) - The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina has confirmed that the withdrawal of older issues of convertible mark banknotes in denominations of 10, 20, 50, and 100 KM (printed between 1998 and 2009) has had a positive effect on combating counterfeiting and verifying their authenticity.

According to data for the first half of 2025, a total of 411 counterfeit KM banknotes were registered for expert examination, which represents an almost twofold increase compared to the same period last year when 185 were discovered.

It is particularly interesting that more than half of these counterfeits, specifically 207 pieces (50.4 percent), were precisely the old banknotes that officially ceased to be valid from January 1, 2025, Fena was confirmed. For comparison, throughout the entire year 2024, while they were still in circulation, 106 such specimens were registered, accounting for 31.5 percent of the total discovered fakes.

Higher denomination banknotes are most frequently counterfeited. In the first half of this year alone, 268 counterfeit 100 KM banknotes and 68 counterfeit 50 KM banknotes were recorded.

Despite the fact that the number of older issues in circulation was minimal since the end of 2024, counterfeits of these series have traditionally constituted a significant share, sometimes more than 50 percent of the total number.

The new design of the banknotes that remained in circulation has brought improved security features. The most important feature is the vertical micro-optical security thread, thanks to which counterfeiting has been significantly made more difficult, while simultaneously making it easier to verify authenticity.