New Czech Money app launched

The Czech National Bank has launched an app called Czech Money. The app allows users to view Czech banknotes and coins in detail on iPod, iPhone and iPad. It can be used to check the protective elements of Czech banknotes. Foreign tourists can use it to familiarise themselves with Czech money. The app is available in Czech and English as a free download from the Apple App Store.

“We are one of the first central banks in the European Union to use new technology to inform people about the protective elements of banknotes. We regard this as part of our legal mandate to ensure smooth circulation of money,” said CNB spokesman Marek Petruš.

The Czech Money app offers detailed pictures and descriptions of all valid versions of Czech banknotes and coins. This means it can be used by anyone who wants a quick and handy guide to identifying genuine and valid Czech money, as well as by tourists who are travelling to the Czech Republic for the first time and do not know the local currency.

The security features of the banknotes can be examined in detail using the accelerometer (which recognises changes in the speed, direction and spatial movement of the device), touch screen control and other special functions that imitate the actual behaviour of the protective elements. Mobile users can examine the protective elements visible under UV light. A backlight function shows off elements visible against normal light. And for new banknote versions with upgraded protective elements, the effect of optically variable ink can be viewed by tilting the device.

Czech Money, which was developed for the Czech National Bank by Zentity, is the latest in a series of central bank tools for presenting Czech money to the public. The booklets Banknotes and Coins (pdf, 1.7 MB, in Czech only) and Guide to Banknote Protective Elements (pdf, 3.6 MB, in Czech only) can be downloaded from the CNB website. Animations on Czech Banknotes (in Czech only) and Czech Coins (in Czech only) enable valid Czech banknotes and coins to be examined in detail on computer.

Marek Petruš
CNB spokesman