Goznak offers app for users to check 200 rbl, 2,000 rbl banknotes

MOSCOW, Jan 18 (PRIME) -- Goznak, Russia’s state firm that operates the mint, has designed a mobile application to check authenticity of new banknotes of 200 and 2,000 rubles via a smartphone or a tablet, General Director Arkady Trachuk told reporters on Thursday.

“The application was created by Goznak specialists,” Trachuk said, but declined to mention investment in the project.

The central bank launched the banknotes of 200 rubles and 2,000 rubles in October 2017.

The new application is free and available in Russian and English. It can already be downloaded on Android devices and a version for iOS will be added during the coming days.

“The main function of the application is to identify several visual signs when checking a banknote. It is not a tool of full-fledged expertise,” Trachuk said.

In order to test a banknote, a user should download the application, scan the banknote via a mobile device camera, and the program shows an animated picture with the use of augmented reality. The minimum technical requirements for the application include a 5 megapixel auto focus camera and 1GB of random access memory, among others.

The success of checking the new banknotes depends on lightness and a number of other factors, Trachuk said, adding that the new banknotes are printed on long-lasting paper. When testing the application, some banknotes were artificially aged.

Trachuk said that all types of banknotes already in circulation differ, but work on the application will be continued.

(56.5925 rubles – U.S. $1)

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