New Barbadian banknotes to be unveiled on May 4

Barbadians will get their first look at the new polymer banknotes that will go into circulation at the end of the year when the Central Bank of Barbados hosts an official launch event for the new series on May 4.

The event will be live streamed on the Bank’s website and social media channels starting at 11 a.m.

“In the weeks since we announced the change to polymer, we’ve focused on ensuring people understand why we’re doing it and what it will mean for the notes currently in circulation. Now it is time for us to show them what the new notes will look like so they can become familiar with them before they are issued,” said Octavia Gibson, Director of the Bank’s Currency and Payments Oversight Department.

She will be one of the speakers at the launch event along with Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes and Gareth Evans, a representative from De La Rue, the company that has printed Barbados’ banknotes since the Central Bank began issuing them in 1973. Gibson believes that Barbadians will be impressed with the new notes.

“As Governor Haynes indicated in his announcement, we have retained some elements for continuity, including the historic Barbadians currently featured on our currency. However, we have updated the design to give the notes an attractive, modern look. And of course, we’ve incorporated a number of new security features that the public will be able to use to quickly and confidently authenticate their notes.”

The Central Bank official encouraged the public to tune in to the event, not only to get a glimpse of the new notes, but also to get answers to questions they might have about the new series. The upcoming polymer series was first announced in March by Governor Haynes and will be only the second major redesign of Barbadian banknotes. The first was done in 2013.