Blippar gives the public an augmented reality preview of The New Fiver

To celebrate the launch of the new £5 note, the Bank of England has partnered with augmented reality and visual discovery app Blippar to offer an augmented reality experience triggered by any Bank of England bank note.

People can simply download the free Blippar app to their smartphone and scan any Bank of England banknote to see The New Fiver in the palm of their hand.

Using the Blippar app, they can also take a selfie with The New Fiver to share on social media, learn about key security features and watch video content.

The partnership is part of a wider campaign by the Bank aimed at educating the public on the benefits of polymer notes ahead of The New Fiver going into circulation in September. Polymer notes are cleaner, safer and stronger than paper. The new notes will last at least 2.5 times longer than paper notes and are harder to counterfeit.

Omaid Hiwaizi, Global Marketing President, Blippar said: “Our partnership with the Bank of England will celebrate The New Fiver and get the public talking about it’s story and features. Our ambition is to get the broadest audience engaged – through both education on security features and the inspiring stories on the design.”

Victoria Cleland, chief cashier, Bank of England said: “The Bank has developed jointly with Blippar a high tech way for the public to explore our new high tech banknote.  The New Fiver campaign is a leap forward in the Bank’s digital communications and the Blippar app helps us to reach out to more people in a new and engaging way ahead of launch in September.”