POLYSECURE® and POLYSECURE SHIELD™

Type: Polymer banknote substrate — biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film with integrated security features; POLYSECURE SHIELD extends this with embedded OVD technology

Overview

POLYSECURE® is a polymer banknote substrate developed and manufactured by Q&T Hi-Tech Polymer Co. Ltd, a 100% Vietnamese-owned company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Hanoi. Q&T, which stands for Quality and Technology, has dedicated extensive research, development, and manufacturing resources to POLYSECURE®, which it claims is unique — describing it not just as a banknote substrate but as a testament to its ingenuity and expertise, set to redefine the concept of banknote security and durability. The company represents a significant development in the polymer banknote substrate market: the emergence of the first commercially viable non-Western polymer substrate supplier, challenging the established duopoly of CCL Secure (Guardian™) and De La Rue (Safeguard®).

In March 2023, Q&T signed a strategic partnership with Crane Currency. The company has subsequently secured commercial supply contracts with Vietnam's National Banknote Printing Plant (NBPP), establishing it as a credible production-scale supplier.

POLYSECURE®

The base POLYSECURE® product is a standard polymer banknote substrate, competing directly with Guardian™ and Safeguard® on quality, printability, and performance parameters. Q&T produces and supplies stable and reliable polymer substrates with high quality and superior technology to central banks, with a focus on meeting the stringent requirements of central banks in the harsh operating environments of banknotes in circulation. 

Q&T emphasises three key substrate performance parameters — stiffness, whiteness, and opacity — as the foundations of a high-quality polymer banknote substrate, and publishes technical specifications against these criteria. The substrate is compatible with all standard banknote printing processes including intaglio, offset, and screen printing, and supports the integration of transparent window areas, security threads, and foil-applied security features.

Over 90% of materials used in POLYSECURE® are sourced domestically within Vietnam, creating an entirely new value chain for Vietnam's high-tech industry. This domestic sourcing strategy gives Q&T a significant cost advantage over competitors reliant on imported polymer film and coatings, while also supporting Vietnam's national monetary sovereignty objectives.

POLYSECURE SHIELD™

POLYSECURE SHIELD™ is the advanced evolution of the POLYSECURE® platform, introduced at the High Security Printing Conference Asia in Bangkok and subsequently presented as a keynote at Mint & Print 2025. POLYSECURE SHIELD is widely recognised as the world's first polymer banknote substrate to integrate an optically variable device (OVD) foil directly into the substrate itself — a leap beyond traditional surface-applied features. 

The core innovation addresses a fundamental vulnerability of conventional polymer banknote security. Traditional banknote security features — holograms, foils, colour-shifting patches, and other OVDs — are applied on the surface of the substrate, leaving them susceptible to wear and fading due to friction, moisture, and chemical exposure. By contrast, POLYSECURE SHIELD integrates OVDs and protective layers deep within the polymer substrate, creating a tamper-resistant structure where security elements are fused throughout the polymer layers rather than restricted to windows or patches. 

POLYSECURE SHIELD preserves both the visual brilliance and structural integrity of holographic features over time, and offers significant production advantages including a flat surface that allows for full printability and seamless design integration. Deep embedding protects features from mechanical, chemical, and environmental damage, with resistance to moisture, UV exposure, friction, and contaminants drastically extending banknote lifespan. Security elements can be fused throughout the polymer layers, and continuous artwork can flow across the note surface uninterrupted by applied patches.

Notable Deployments

Up to and including 2023, the polymer substrate used for all Vietnamese banknote denominations was Guardian™ produced by CCL Secure. Q&T subsequently won an international tender to supply POLYSECURE® for the VND 100,000 denomination under the 2025 production plan, and in December 2025 signed a further contract with the NBPP to supply the same denomination for 2026. Q&T is also supplying security printing substrates for the VND 20,000 and VND 50,000 denominations. These contracts represent the first displacement of an established polymer substrate supplier — CCL Secure — by a domestic alternative in a significant polymer currency market. No non-Vietnamese central bank deployments have been publicly announced as of early 2026, though Q&T has stated it is actively working with multiple countries.

Name

POLYSECURE® and POLYSECURE SHIELD™

Category

Substrate

Company

Q&T HI-TECH POLYMER COMPANY LIMITED
Company Website

Product Page

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Linked Substrates

1 substrate