Kuwait's currency was suspended entirely during the Iraqi occupation of 1990–91, when the Central Bank's reserves were looted and large quantities of Kuwaiti dinars were seized and spent by Iraqi forces. After liberation, the entire pre-occupation series was demonetized in a compressed three-week window in March 1991, forcing a complete reissue program. This 1994 fifth series note is a direct product of that overhaul — a currency rebuild rather than a routine replacement cycle.
De La Rue had produced Kuwaiti notes since the earliest issues, and the relationship continued uninterrupted through the post-liberation reissue. The security thread specification on this series was upgraded specifically in response to the counterfeiting concerns that followed the occupation.
Kuwait's currency was suspended entirely during the Iraqi occupation of 1990–91, when the Central Bank's reserves were looted and large quantities of Kuwaiti dinars were seized and spent by Iraqi forces. After liberation, the entire pre-occupation series was demonetized in a compressed three-week window in March 1991, forcing a complete reissue program. This 1994 fifth series note is a direct product of that overhaul — a currency rebuild rather than a routine replacement cycle.
De La Rue had produced Kuwaiti notes since the earliest issues, and the relationship continued uninterrupted through the post-liberation reissue. The security thread specification on this series was upgraded specifically in response to the counterfeiting concerns that followed the occupation.