New Delhi, July 18 -- The Reserve Bank of India's currency printing arm on Friday invited global bids from manufacturers to supply polymer substrate sheets embedded with security features that will be used to print Indian banknotes at its own presses as well as that of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India.

Interested companies have until August 18, 2026 to submit their bids, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

This development comes shortly after RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said last month that polymer banknotes are under consideration, but only at a preliminary stage. The move marks the clearest step yet towards introducing plastic currency that could eventually replace some paper notes.

The initial requirement is ...