MultiCode™

Type: Machine-readable magnetic encoding — covert Level 2 authentication technology embedded within security threads during thread production, enabling denomination and country-specific identification by banknote processing equipment

Overview

MultiCode™ is Louisenthal's proprietary magnetic coding technology for security threads, providing a covert machine-readable layer of authentication that is invisible to the naked eye and detectable only by banknote processing equipment equipped with appropriate magnetic sensors. It is not a standalone security feature but an add-on authentication technology integrated within Louisenthal's existing security thread portfolio — available as an option across ColorShift™, RollingStar®, Galaxy®, RollingStar® Venus, and other Louisenthal thread products.

MultiCode™ is a magnetic feature of security threads in banknotes that enables various coding and thus customer-specific information. The technology represents Louisenthal's answer to the demand for machine-readable security within the same thread element that provides Level 1 public authentication, allowing a single thread to serve simultaneously as a visible authentication feature and as a covert machine-readable identifier throughout the cash cycle.

Technology & Effects

With Louisenthal's unique magnetic coding, you can customise the code embedded in a banknote's security thread. The technology enables you to store information about the banknote denomination, your country and/or other information specified by you. Details of how these codes are made are not publicly available and it is virtually impossible for counterfeiters to copy the technology we use. As they're integrated during the thread production process, the codes are extremely durable throughout the lifecycle of the note.

The magnetic coding is applied during the thread production process at Louisenthal's manufacturing facilities — not during banknote printing — meaning the encoded information is embedded within the thread structure itself and inseparable from it. This substrate-stage integration gives MultiCode™ exceptional durability: the magnetic properties are not surface-applied and therefore are not susceptible to the abrasion, soiling, and chemical exposure that can degrade surface-applied magnetic inks on the printed areas of a banknote.

The coding architecture is customer-specific and proprietary to each issuer. A given currency's MultiCode™ configuration encodes unique identifiers — denomination value, country of issue, and optionally further parameters specified by the central bank — that are registered in the processing systems of that cash cycle. This means that a forged note carrying a correctly simulated visual thread appearance would still fail machine authentication if the magnetic coding is absent or incorrect, providing a second independent verification layer that operates entirely below the threshold of public awareness.

MultiCode authentication technology enables individualisation of the code embedded in the security thread, making it virtually impossible for counterfeiters to imitate the complex technology used. 

Form Factors & Application

MultiCode™ is available as an add-on to any Louisenthal security thread product and is compatible with all standard banknote substrates. RollingStar® Venus is compatible with a range of magnetic properties like MultiCode™. Galaxy® security threads can be combined with additional protection such as clear text and machine-readable magnetic code (MultiCode™). The thread width and physical format are unaffected by the addition of MultiCode™, and the magnetic properties are invisible in all visual inspection modes, ensuring the covert nature of the feature is preserved in public-facing authentication guidance.

Security Levels

MultiCode™ operates exclusively at Level 2. It is undetectable by the naked eye, invisible under UV light, and requires magnetic sensing equipment — typically integrated within high-speed banknote sorting and processing machines — for detection and verification. This makes it a cash-cycle-facing feature: its primary beneficiaries are central banks, commercial banks, cash-in-transit operators, and retailers using automated cash-handling equipment, rather than the general public. The denomination and country-specific coding means that MultiCode™-equipped notes can be automatically sorted, verified, and authenticated by processing systems throughout the entire cash cycle.

Notable Deployments

The Polish 500 złoty banknote incorporates MultiCode®, Louisenthal's machine-readable magnetic feature, within the RollingStar® windowed security thread. A coded, machine-readable MultiCode™ feature is integrated into the Galaxy® thread on the Hong Kong banknote series, enabling automatic detection and verification by banknote processing systems. The Kazakhstan 1,000 Tenge banknote incorporates MultiCode™ alongside Pole® features within the ColorShift/ColorFix window thread.

Name

MultiCode™

Category

Security Feature

Effect Types

Machine readable magnetics

Company

Louisenthal
Company Website

Product Page

View on Supplier Site

Linked Features

2 security features