Euro banknotes remain highly secure as counterfeit rates drop

The European Central Bank (ECB) has reported that 444,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation in 2025, representing a 20 per cent decrease compared with the previous year.

The ECB said that the number of counterfeit euro banknotes remains very low compared with the volume of genuine banknotes in circulation, highlighting the continued reliability of euro cash.

According to the data, 14 counterfeit banknotes were detected per million genuine banknotes in circulation during 2025...