From all significantly new designed and widely circulated banknotes released in 2015, the IBNS membership nominated notes from a record 20 countries to place on the ballot. Nominees represented four continents (Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa), 4 Middle East countries, and 4 island nations. Past "Bank Note of the Year" winners include Trinidad & Tobago (2014), Kazakhstan (2013, 2012, 2011), Uganda (2010), Bermuda (2009), Samoa (2008), Scotland (2007), Comoros (2006), Faeroe Islands (2005) and Canada (2004).
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand began releasing a new family of "Brighter Money" banknotes in 2015, beginning with the $5 and $10 denominations. Printed by the Canadian Bank Note Company in Ottawa, each stunning orange and brown $5 note displays a map of New Zealand in a gorgeous polymer window as well as numerous upgraded security features.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has issued a press release with the design for the first new banknote of the new generation, the 5-dollar note. The new note will be issued into circulation from 1 September 2016. The images show the basic design artwork of each side of the banknote. As previously announced, key aspects of the existing design – colour, size and people portrayed – are retained for ease of recognition and to minimise the disruption to businesses. There is a new 'tactile' feature to help the vision-impaired community distinguish between different denominations of banknotes.
The Governor, Glenn Stevens, said: "Innovative new security features have been incorporated to help keep Australia’s banknotes secure from counterfeiting into the future. As can be seen in the images, these include a distinctive top-to-bottom window. Each banknote in the new series will depict a different species of Australian wattle and a native bird within a number of the elements. On the $5 banknote, these are the Prickly Moses wattle and the Eastern Spinebill."
The first reactions on social media are not really positive. One comment stated the note looks like "clown puke". Mmm... I can see what they mean to be honest... Judge for yourself with the images below. The white areas are actually transparent.
From The Guardian: "The Scottish author Nan Shepherd, who explored the Cairngorms in her classic text The Living Mountain, is to feature on a new Scottish £5 note.
Shepherd was chosen by the Royal Bank of Scotland board after the scientist Mary Somerville was selected as the image for the Scottish £10 note by public vote. The new £5 note will enter circulation later this year, with the £10 to follow in 2017. RBS board chair Malcolm Buchanan said the bank had "never before featured a woman on its main issue bank notes" and that the new issues celebrated "the fantastic, and often overlooked, achievements of two great Scottish women".
As well as an image of Shepherd, the RBS £5 note features a quote from the author’s first novel, The Quarry Wood – "It’s a grand thing to get leave to live" – and one from her meditation on the Scottish landscape, The Living Mountain: "But the struggle between frost and the force in running water is not quickly over. The battle fluctuates, and at the point of fluctuation between the motion in water and the immobility of frost, strange and beautiful forms are evolved."
Born in 1893, Shepherd spent all her life in Aberdeen. She wrote her 80-page meditation on the Cairngorm mountains during the second world war but only published it in 1977, four years before her death. By the beginning of the 21st century, it was almost forgotten, but a resurgence of interest in nature writing has seen Shepherd’s books enjoying a new lease of life.
The reverse of the £5 note features an excerpt from Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean’s poem The Choice, which translates into English as "I walked with my reason, out beside the sea". The £10 note shows an excerpt from Norman MacCraig’s poem Moorings: "The cork that can’t be travels / Nose of a dog otter / It’s piped at, screamed at, sworn at / By an elegant oystercatcher."
Each note also features a midge, to "represent the reality of everyday living in the Scottish countryside", according to RBS. "It’s a reminder that Scottish nature nips us as well as thrills us," said Macfarlane." Source.
Update 28-4-2016: Together with this news the final designs for both the new 5-pound note and the 10-pound note have been shown to the world. Below the notes in their full glory.
Update 13-09-2016: In this article on the BBC website the date of 27 October 2016 is mentioned for the introduction of the 5-pound note with Nan Shepherd.
A bid to change the law so that Welsh banknotes could once again be issued has been blocked by the UK Government. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own banknotes and Labour and Plaid Cymru supported a measure would have opened the door to Welsh notes. The Consevatives however voted the proposal down.
In a comment by the UK Treasury Minister she mentioned some of the design elements of the new UK 5-pound note.
From WalesOnline: Shadow Welsh Secretary Nia Griffith said: "I'm deeply disappointed that the Conservatives voted against introducing Welsh banknotes. This proposal had widespread support amongst Welsh Labour MPs and the full support of Labour’s Treasury team.
"Welsh banknotes would be an important way of recognising the people who have shaped Wales as we know it today, and it is only fair when Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own banknotes.
"During today’s debate many of my colleagues made their own suggestions as to who could feature on Welsh banknotes - figures such as Aneurin Bevan and Dame Shirley Bassey - but ultimately this would be a decision for the people of Wales. Labour will continue pressing the Conservatives to reconsider their opposition to these proposals."
The amendment to the Bank of England and Financial Services Bill – to "enable Lloyds Banking Group, the holder of the Bank of Wales trademark, to issue banknotes in Wales" was defeated by 301 to 239.
UK Treasury Minister Harriett Baldwin said that although she sympathised with the desire for Welsh banknotes the Government would not support the amendment.
She said: "The last private note issuer in Wales was the North and South Wales Bank which lost its note-issuing rights in 1908 when it was taken over by the Midland Bank which now has been rebranded as HSBC."
Ms Baldwin said the proposals would give a "clear commercial advantage in the country of Wales to just one bank, the Lloyds Banking Group."
She added: "I can confirm that the Bank of England has already announced that future banknotes, starting with the polymer £5 note which will be issued from September 2016 will include symbols which represent all four home nations. For Wales, the imagery will be taken from the Royal Coat of Arms and the Royal Badge of Wales."
The Central Bank of Russia has announced that new banknotes of 200- and 2,000-rubles will be issued. The new notes are expected to be issued at the end of 2017.
No news yet on the theme or design of the new banknotes but for the first time Russian citizens will have a say in what city or region will be represented on the banknotes. The final decison will be made in the summer of 2016.
Update 8 July 2016: You can follow the voting on the official site for the new banknotes. On 7 October 2016 the winner will be announced.
Just coming back from a vacation in the USA I was once again confronted with perhaps the most well known banknotes in the world but also some of the most boring in terms of design in my opinion. But it seems that is about to change in a big way!
The US Department of the Treasury has announced its plans for one of the biggest design changes to the US banknotes in decades. The 5-, 10- and 20-dollar notes will get new faces on them, with 8 of them being women. The theme for the new generation of banknotes will be Democracy.
The front of the new $20 will feature the portrait of Harriet Tubman, whose life was dedicated to fighting for liberty. The reverse of the new $20 will depict the White House and an image of President Andrew Jackson."
It seems that the Treasury tries to make up for decades of white male domination on their banknotes in one move. It will be interesting to see how the new banknotes will cope with so many faces on some of them but it sure sounds promising! In this letter Secretary Lew explains the choices for the new faces.
The new banknotes are expected for 2020, the centennial of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote.
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has finally, FINALLY, revealed the final design of the first banknote of the new series! But to be honest: it was well worth the wait.
"In the ninth banknote series the Swiss National Bank is breaking new ground on the design front – it is moving away from the depiction of well-known personalities altogether. Each note in the new series depicts a typically Swiss characteristic, which is then illustrated graphically using a key motif. Each characteristic is communicated via an action, a Swiss location and various graphic elements. The inspiration behind the new banknote series is 'The many facets of Switzerland'."
The first new note of the series has wind as its main theme. This theme is reflected in several design elements, like the dandelion on the front where the wind carries the seeds from it, the wind arrows and the wind currents blowing across the globe. The globe represents the connection of Switzerland with the rest of the world and will be present on all notes in the series. The back of the note shows a paraglider flying on the wind across the Swiss Alps. The mountain peaks and contour lines also represent the Swiss Alps.
The Swiss banknotes have always been one of the most secure note and this new series is no exception. There are numerous security features used in this new note which are a bit too many to list here but be sure to check out the video below where a lot of them are presented. I really like how they made the security features an integral element of the design of the whole note.
The themes and main colors of the banknotes in the new series are:
10 francs: Time, Yellow.
20 francs: Light, Red.
50 francs: Wind, Green.
100 francs: Water, Blue.
200 francs: Matter, Brown.
1,000 francs: Language, Purple.
The new 50-francs note will be officially issued to the public from 12 April 2016. Below two images taken from the information brochure on the website of the SNB. More interesting downloads can be found here.
The State Bank of Vietnam has issued a commemorative note of 100-dong commemoratong the 65th anniversary of the the banking sector in Vietnam (6 May 1951- 6 May 2016).
The note is 83 by 163 mm and printed on cotton paper. The primary color of the note is red. The front of the note has the line "The State Bank of Vietnam", "the 65th Anniversary of Banking Sector” with the years 1951- 2016, the denomination of 100 VND in words and in numbers, a portrait of former president Ho Chi Minh and the signature of SBV Governor Nguyen Van Binh.
The back of the note shows the line "The State Bank of Vietnam", the denomination of 100 VND in words and in numbers, an image of the State Bank of Vietnam building, Thanh Giong (a mythical folk hero), a stylized depiction of the currency used in ancient Vietnam representing the nation’s monetary sovereignty and the patterns found on Ngoc Lu Bronze Drum. The sky and dragon are painted as decoration features on both the front and back.
On the occasion of 65th anniversary of the banking sector, the SBV has issued the note as a souvenir to promote iconic features of Vietnam and its history. The souvenir banknotes were manufactured by the National Banknote Printing Plant under the sponsorship of international partners from France, Switzeland, Sweden, and Germany for paper, ink and security equipments.
The banknotes will be sold for VND 20,000 per single note, and VND 25,000 per note wrapped in a folder with a bilingual caption.
As previously announced the Banco de la República in Colombia has issued the first new note of the new family of banknotes: the 100,000-peso featuring the image of former president Carlos Lleras Restrepo.
The front of the note depicts the denomination in dark green OVI, a sietecueros blossom green-to-blue SPARK Orbit patch and the image of Carlos Lleras Restrepo. The back shows wax palms (the national tree), a barranquero bird, a poem about the wax palm by Luis Vidales and the liberty head bank seal.
The Narodowy Bank Polski (National Bank of Poland) has announced that on 12 April 2016 a new commemorative banknote will be issued to the public. The note which was announced in August last year features an image of King Miezko I and commemorates the fact that it's 1,050 years ago when King Miezko I was baptized in 966 AD. This was the beginning of the Christening of Poland.
The Bank of England has announced that the design of the new 5-pound note featuring Winston Churchill will be revealed on 2 June 2016. The new note will enter circulation in September 2016 and will be the Bank of England's first polymer note. A year later the new 10-pound note featuring the image of Jane Austen will be issued.
The Bank of Canada has issued a press release on 8 March 2016, International Women's Day (and coincidentally also the birthday of my beloved), that for the first release of its next series of banknotes it wants a woman to appear on the new note.
As announced today by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Finance Bill Morneau, the Bank of Canada is undertaking a broad public consultation to select an iconic Canadian woman to be featured on the first bank note of its next series. This new note will be issued in 2018.
"In our country's nearly 150 year history, women, with the notable exception of the Queen, have largely been unrepresented on our bank notes," said Minister Morneau. "In 2018, we will bring real change to a new generation of women who will carry with them constant reminders that they are not only Canada’s future, but a celebrated part of our history."
The Bank is inviting the public to nominate women who they feel are deserving of this recognition.
"I am delighted that an iconic Canadian woman will be featured on a bank note," aid Bank of Canada Governor Stephen S. Poloz. "Bank notes are cultural touchstones, and can be used to celebrate and reflect the diversity of our society. With this new note, we can honour the achievements of Canadian women and inspire future generations to learn more about the significant contributions women have made to our country."
From now until 15 April 2016, all Canadians can visit the Bank of Canada’s website to submit their nomination.
Nomination criteria are as follows:
The nominee can be any Canadian woman (by birth or naturalization) who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, achievement or distinction in any field, benefiting the people of Canada, or in the service of Canada.
The nominee must not be a fictional character.
The nominee must have been deceased for at least 25 years (before 15 April 1991).
At the end of the nomination period, an independent Advisory Council composed of eminent Canadian academic, cultural and thought leaders will then review the submissions. With the help of subject matter experts and additional consultation with the public, the Advisory Council will develop a short list of qualifying candidates for submission to the Minister of Finance.
The United Arab Emirates Central Bank has issued a new note of 200 dirham, The Gulf Today announced. The new note has been reprinted with tactile marks for the blind and sight impaired.
The new tactile features will be engraved in bleed-off intaglio printing on the edge of the banknote’s short sides. The tactile feature on the Dhs200 note consists of a pair of two horizontal lines, separated by a recognisable distance, around the middle of the right and left short sides of the note.
The silver metallic thread is replaced with a broader (3mm) multi-colour (colourshift) at the back of the note reading UAE 200. The metallic ink surrounding the UAE emblem on the front top half of the note is also replaced by multicolored shifting element.
The overall design and other specifications of the currency note will be the same as those currently in circulation. '
"Kenya must replace all currency with completely new bank notes because the Constitution adopted in 2010 prohibits the use of a person’s portrait on the legal tender. Article 231(4) of the Constitution bars the use of portraits or images of individuals on currency stating that notes and coins should only bear images that depict or symbolise an aspect of Kenya.
The Cabinet had approved the design of new generation currency in August 2013 and was working on a production date of 2015, prompting a botched international tender. Notes currently in circulation have the images of first President Jomo Kenyatta and his successor Daniel Arap Moi."
Kenya has had problems with printer De la Rue which led to delays with the issuing of the new currency. Perhaps September 2017 will be the new magic date?
Update 8 October 2017: well, September 2017 has come and gone and no new notes yet. The problems seem far from over?
The Banco de la República in Colombia has announced that the first note in the new series, the 100,000-pesos banknote with former president Carlos Lleras Restrepo on it, will be issued from 31 March 2016. The new notes will be gradually introduced in 2016 and co-circulate with the existing notes.
The schedule for the new series is:
1st quarter of 2016: 100,000 pesos
2nd quarter of 2016: 20,000 pesos
3rd quarter of 2016: 50,000 pesos
4th quarter of 2016: 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 pesos
The design and denominations are the following:
2,000 pesos: Painter Débora Arango, with Caño Cristales River on the back.
5,000 pesos: Poet José Asunción Silva, with a view of the "páramos colombianos," an eco-system on the back.
10,000 pesos: Antropoligist Virginia Gutiérrez, with the Amazonian forest on the back.
20,000 pesos: Former president Alfonso López Michelsen, with canales de La Mojana, and a "sombrero vueltiao" which is a traditional hat.
50,000 pesos: Writer Gabriel García Márquez, with "Ciudad Perdida" on the back.
100,000 pesos Former President Carlos Lleras Restrepo, with Valle del Cocora and "Palma de cera" which is the national tree of Colombia.
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A bid to change the law so that Welsh banknotes could once again be issued has been blocked by the UK Government. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own banknotes and Labour and Plaid Cymru supported a measure would have opened the door to Welsh notes. The Consevatives however voted the proposal down.
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Just coming back from a vacation in the USA I was once again confronted with perhaps the most well known banknotes in the world but also some of the most boring in terms of design in my opinion. But it seems that is about to change in a big way!
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