De La Rue plc (UK: /ˈdɛləruː/, US: /ˌdɛləˈruː/) is a British company headquartered in Basingstoke, England, that produces secure digital and physical protections for goods, trade, and identities in 140 countries.

Its authentication division provides government revenue technology, brand protection, and ID security, such as polycarbonate data pages for passports.

[2] The company was founded by Thomas de la Rue, who moved from Guernsey to London in 1821 and set up in business as a Leghorn straw hat maker, then as a stationer and printer.

A takeover bid for De La Rue was made by the Rank Organisation in 1968, but this was rejected by the Monopolies commission as being against the public interest.

[8] In 1997, De La Rue acquired Harrison and Sons, the stamp and banknote printers based in High Wycombe.

[16][17] The company was recognised by Hermann Simon as a role model for other small- to medium-sized businesses in his book Hidden Champions.

[19] In August 2014, the company announced the appointment of Martin Sutherland (formerly of BAE Systems Applied Intelligence) as chief executive officer.

[26] On 26 July 2019, the Serious Fraud Office opened an investigation into De La Rue plc for suspected corruption in South Sudan.

[27][28] In April 2023, it was announced that chairman Kevin Loosemore was stepping down in May 2023 to "draw a line under recent speculation surrounding the leadership of the company".

[32] De La Rue sells high-security fully finished banknotes, polymer substrate and security features for over 69 national currencies.

Production of fountain pens by De La Rue ceased in Britain in 1958 but continued for a few more years in Australia.