About Us

The SMI company

Our Vision

The life-cycle of a currency, from design and production to distribution and destruction, is by necessity dependent on the trust and integrity of all parties involved in the process. SMI embodies these values and aims to help its clients by providing informed, relevant, expert and impartial advice drawn on its unique understanding of the industry.

Our Values

SMI is a group of industry sector experts whose expertise is instrumental to our success. We develop long term relationships with our clients and believe that it is by building trust and confidence that we can ensure they achieve success whether they are Central Banks, commercial banks, manufacturers or technology providers.

Our History

1994

SMI was founded by Martyn White and Alastair Stobart, two ex-colleagues from Portals Ltd, at the time, the world’s largest commercial banknote and high security paper maker. Their aim for SMI was to provide an expert source of advisory services independent of technology and supplier to a sector faced with developing threats from modern digital reprographic technology.

2009

SMI was acquired by G4S plc with the aim of combining SMI’s unique banknote consultancy expertise with G4S’ global experience in the ‘post-issue’ cash cycle to deliver an all-encompassing consultancy to central bank clients internationally. SMI was now able to offer a wider range of expertise, but maintain its independent and unique relationships with both the supply and demand side of the sector.

2015

SMI began its collaboration with Currency News to produce the Payment News Quarterly supplement, to include the latest news and information affecting the payments industry.

2016

SMI’s management team, Jonathan Ward and Martin Arkwright, is successful in the management buyout of Secura Monde International Ltd from G4S plc, allowing SMI to operate again as a fully independent consultancy focusing on all issues relating to the design, production and technology of banknotes, as well as the management and distribution of cash throughout the cash cycle.

Today

From its modest beginnings, today SMI is widely regarded as the world’s leading independent technical and commercial cash and payments advisory company within the banknote printing industry.