Botasupal: Enhanced Rupiah Security Features Suppress Counterfeit Circulation

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Counterfeit Money Eradication Coordination Body (Botasupal) has said that developments in security features on rupiah banknotes are considered one of the factors suppressing the circulation of counterfeit money in Indonesia.

Botasupal Secretary General Brigadier General Pol Mulyono said Spark Live is one of the flagship features representing the development of rupiah security technology, making it increasingly difficult to counterfeit while also making it easier for the public and law enforcement officers to recognise the authenticity of banknotes.

“One of our flagship features is Spark Live. The feature appears to come alive when the banknote is shaken. To date, this feature has not been successfully counterfeited,” Mulyono said during a discussion on the Rupiah for a Sovereign Indonesia at the 2026 Sovereign Rupiah Festival of Indonesia in Jakarta on Friday.

He explained that rupiah banknotes have a number of security features that must be continuously updated. There are currently around 15–17 security features that need to be understood by the public and law enforcement officers.

According to him, the strength of the rupiah’s security features has helped keep the level of counterfeit money circulation in Indonesia relatively low compared with a number of other countries.

Based on Botasupal data, in 2024–2025 the ratio of counterfeit money in Indonesia stood at around 4 notes per 1 million banknotes in circulation. Meanwhile, throughout 2026 up to August, the ratio fell to around 2 notes per 1 million banknotes in circulation.

Overseas, the figure for counterfeit money circulation reaches around 9–14 notes per 1 million banknotes, or at most ranges from 14–20 notes per 1 million banknotes.

Understanding these features is important for detecting counterfeiting methods that are beginning to develop. If a feature is found to be starting to be imitated by perpetrators, Bank Indonesia together with Botasupal elements can carry out an evaluation and further improve rupiah security technology.

“When there are features that begin to be counterfeited, we will improve them. This is done in cooperation with our colleagues from Bank Indonesia so that the features of our currency continue to be enhanced and are not easily counterfeited again,” he said.

Mulyono explained that in terms of materials, counterfeit money found is also generally still of low quality because it is usually printed on ordinary paper using coloured printer ink, while genuine rupiah banknotes use cotton-based paper.

He also added that the use of non-cash transactions has also contributed to further suppressing the circulation of counterfeit money by reducing the use of physical currency in economic activity.

Therefore, the public is also asked to understand the characteristics of genuine rupiah and to report immediately if they find banknotes whose authenticity is in doubt to a bank or the police.

“When we want to eradicate counterfeit money, we must know the genuine one. We must know its features in detail,” he said.

The eradication of counterfeit rupiah is carried out through education, data strengthening, and law enforcement with collaboration from Botasupal, whose members include BIN, the Police, the Attorney General’s Office, Bank Indonesia, and the Ministry of Finance, using case data to determine prevention and enforcement measures.