17% INCREASE IN COUNTERFEIT BANKNOTES IN CYPRUS IN 2025 - WHAT CITIZENS SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR - Filenews 4/3
Specifically, during 2025, 670 pieces of counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation, an increase of 17.1% compared to 2024. The €50 banknote had the highest rate of counterfeiting, accounting for 45.4% of the total.
Reduction of counterfeiting at Eurozone level
At the European level, the European Central Bank announced that in 2025 around 444,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation, a number reduced by 20% compared to 2024.
The €50 and €20 banknotes continue to have the highest counterfeiting rates, accounting for 80.2% of all incidents.
According to ECB data, 96.8% of counterfeit banknotes were found in euro area countries, 2.2% in non-euro area European Union member states and 1% in the rest of the world.
Recommendation to citizens
Despite the small proportion of counterfeit banknotes compared to genuine ones in circulation, the Central Bank of Cyprus calls on citizens to be careful and check the authenticity of the banknotes they receive in their cash transactions.
The website of the Central Bank of Cyprus and the European Central Bank provides information on simple ways to check the authenticity of euro banknotes.
