De La Rue in talks to produce ‘Covid passports’
De La Rue is in talks with governments and pharmaceutical companies about producing ‘Covid passports’.
The banknote printer is also in conversations surrounding security seals and tracking systems to guarantee that vaccines and tests are genuine, according to the Telegraph.
At the unveiling of the group’s interim results, chief executive Clive Vacher said: “We do not yet know what governments or companies will decide to do about certificates of vaccination or vaccines,” but added De La Rue had the “ability to turn out products in the billions” should they be required.
The company reported a near seven-fold jump in first-half profit this morning, buoyed by cost cuts under a turnaround plan, and said demand for cash has held up during the Covid-19 pandemic as central banks stock up.
De La Rue, which lost the contract to make Britain’s new blue post-Brexit passports at the end of September, said it was on track to save 23 million pounds from cost cuts in its fiscal year 2021.
Vacher said performance for the company’s fiscal year 2021 had been positive and that outlook for revenue, profit and net debt for the year was in line with its expectations.