The National Bank of Belgium published its annual figures on counterfeit banknotes withdrawn from circulation in 2025, reporting a small rise to 15,198 notes from 14,341 in 2024. It stressed that counterfeiting remains very limited in Belgium and represents only a fraction of the number of cyber fraud cases. The seized counterfeits had a notional face value of EUR 743,995, with EUR 50 notes accounting for most cases at 8,559 (56.32%), followed by EUR 20 notes at 4,339 (28.55%) and EUR 100 notes at 1,134 (7.46%). The year-on-year increase was 857 notes (5.9%), but the central bank cautioned against drawing far-reaching conclusions, noting that fluctuations can be driven by the activity of a single counterfeiter. Counterfeits are typically detected by the public, by authentication machines in shops or banks, or at the National Bank’s cash centre, which processes more than 600 million genuine euro banknotes each year; withdrawn counterfeits are analysed in a laboratory and the bank works with the federal police and Eurosystem central banks to combat counterfeiting.
National Bank of Belgium 2026-02-27
National Bank of Belgium withdraws 15,198 counterfeit euro banknotes in 2025, slightly up year on year
The National Bank of Belgium reported a slight increase in counterfeit banknotes withdrawn from circulation in 2025, totaling 15,198 notes, up from 14,341 in 2024. The EUR 50 note was the most counterfeited, comprising 56.32% of cases. Despite the rise, the bank emphasized that counterfeiting remains minimal in Belgium, with fluctuations often linked to individual counterfeiters.