De La Rue has printed bank notes for the Bank of England since 1860 and also prints currency for a further 140 countries, issued a warning last week that there was “significant doubt” regarding its future.

The company is the largest commercial printer in the world, producing passports for 40 countries and according to Edison Group, it has designed 36% of all bank note denominations in circulation.

NBC News reports despite such high levels of custom, De La Rue reported stagnant 2019-2020 half-year financial results and has lost 20% of its value in the past week alone.

Russ Mould, investment director at A.J Bell, said: “There can be no denying that De La Rue’s finances look precarious.”

De La Rue has suffered two major setbacks in 2019 which have thrown the company’s future into question.

Last year, De La Rue did not obtain the contract print the United Kingdom’s new blue passports after Brexit is completed. That contract went to German company Gemalto.

The company also lost £18 million last year after Venezuela’s central bank failed to pay the company for its services.