The Reserve Bank of Malawi picked up the award for Best New Banknote for the 5,000 kwacha. This is a new high denomination, introduced in February 2022 to meet the changing economic landscape and  also the need for increased security for higher denominations.

The portrait is of the first President of Malawi, Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda. The main security features are the Micromirror LEAD foil™ and Galaxy ™ security thread from Louisenthal, and SICPA’s SPARK live™ in the shape of a fish, with similar dynamics and colour shift as the Galaxy thread.

The note, which was printed by Giesecke+Devrient, has a host other features, including the watermark of Dr Hastings Banda and the number 5,000 below the portrait, a Gemini™ UV feature and a double box design on the front to assist with recognition by the visually impaired.