BEAC Launches App to Combat Counterfeit Banknotes in CEMAC

The Central Bank of Central African States (BEAC) has introduced a new mobile application, BEAC NG2020, to empower citizens and professionals in verifying the authenticity of its latest banknotes series.

The innovation is aimed at combatting the rising tide of counterfeiting in the sub-region since the 2020 banknotes were introduced.

The free app, announced on Thursday, July 31, is now available on the App Store and Google Play Store for Android and iOS users.

The launch comes amid a resurgence of counterfeit currency in Central Africa, particularly in Cameroon, the CEMAC bloc’s largest economy.

BEAC reported the interception of 1.5 billion CFA francs worth of fake banknotes in Cameroon in 2024, many originating from Equatorial Guinea. This follows a similar scandal in the Central African Republic.

The “BEAC NG2020” app targets both the general public and retailers, banking institutions, and microfinance entities, who are seen as the first line of defense against counterfeit money.

Designed with a simple and intuitive interface, the app allows users to authenticate banknotes by comparing visible and tactile security features through multiple methods.

According to a BEAC press release, users can verify authenticity by: observing with the naked eye features such as the watermark, incomplete pattern, ticket number, and security thread.

They can also tilt the banknote to reveal a dynamic 3D pattern that shifts color and a dynamic security thread, as well as place it under an ultraviolet lamp to detect the CEMAC map replacing the watermark, two-color fibers, and fluorescent scene contours.

“The user can authenticate the ticket by looking at the security features with the naked eye, as illustrated in the application: watermark, incomplete pattern, ticket number, security thread. […] by tilting it, as illustrated in the application, to observe the dynamic 3D pattern that gradually changes color depending on the tilt of the ticket and the dynamic security thread. […] by placing it under a UV lamp to see, as illustrated in the application, the CEMAC map that appears in place of the watermark, the two-color fibers and the fluorescent scene contours,” the BEAC statement detailed.

This initiative is part of a strategy by BEAC to bolster trust in the currency it issues in the CEMAC region, which includes Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo.