Eastern Caribbean banknotes redesigned to honor regional heroes and heritage
Key Points(5)
- The Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) has unveiled a redesigned series of banknotes that celebrates the region’s people, heritage and achievements, while removing the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II from the currency.
- The new banknotes were unveiled on Thursday, July 9, by Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Timothy N.J.
- Antoine and members of the ECCB Monetary Council during a ceremony marking the change in chairmanship of the Monetary Council, held in the Commonwealth of Dominica.
- Governor Antoine said the redesign reflects the fact that the currency belongs to the people of the ECCU and was shaped by public input.
- “Recognising that the currency belongs to the people of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, the Monetary Council invited the public, through the Central Bank, to help shape this new chapter in our shared history,” Antoine said ahead of the unveiling.
The Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) has unveiled a redesigned series of banknotes that celebrates the region’s people, heritage and achievements, while removing the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II from the currency.
The new banknotes were unveiled on Thursday, July 9, by Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Timothy N.J. Antoine and members of the ECCB Monetary Council during a ceremony marking the change in chairmanship of the Monetary Council, held in the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Governor Antoine said the redesign reflects the fact that the currency belongs to the people of the ECCU and was shaped by public input.
“Recognising that the currency belongs to the people of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, the Monetary Council invited the public, through the Central Bank, to help shape this new chapter in our shared history,” Antoine said ahead of the unveiling.
He said the public response was “clear and compelling,” with citizens calling for the currency to honour regional heroes, nation builders and individuals whose contributions have strengthened the Eastern Caribbean.
Each ECCU member country was invited to nominate a person whose life and legacy represent service, leadership, scholarship and excellence.
The new $100 banknote features two of the region’s most distinguished figures: Nobel Prize-winning economist Sir William Arthur Lewis and Saint Lucia’s former Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Sir John George Melvin Compton.
The $50 banknote features former ECCB Governor Sir K. Dwight Venner, who served from 1989 to 2015, alongside The Right Excellent Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis.
The $20 banknote honours Antigua and Barbuda’s first Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Snr, and former Dominica Prime Minister Dame Mary Eugenia Charles.
The $10 note features Montserrat’s former Chief Minister William Henry Bramble and Anguilla political leader James Ronald Webster.
The $5 banknote celebrates Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ former Prime Minister Robert Milton Cato and Grenadian Olympic champion Sir Kirani James.
The redesigned banknotes also feature, for the first time, the ECCB logo surrounded by the flags of the eight ECCU member countries.
As part of the redesign, Sir K. Dwight Venner’s likeness has been moved to the front of the $50 banknote, while Sir William Arthur Lewis has been moved from the back of the $100 note to the front.
The ECCB said changes will also be made to EC coins, with the likeness of Queen Elizabeth II on the front of the coins being replaced by the ECCU logo.
