ECCB unveils redesigned EC banknotes honoring regional heroes

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has unveiled new EC banknote designs that replace Queen Elizabeth II with national heroes and regional icons from the eight ECCU member countries. The redesign, shown July 9 in Dominica, also adds the ECCB logo surrounded by ECCU flags and signals a broader shift in how the currency represents the region.

Why it matters: - The new EC banknotes are meant to reflect regional identity more directly by honoring people, heritage and achievements from the eight Eastern Caribbean Currency Union member countries. - The redesign removes the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II from the banknotes. - The change also extends to EC coins, where Queen Elizabeth II on the front will be replaced with the ECCU logo.

What happened: - Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine and members of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Monetary Council unveiled the new designs on Thursday, July 9, during the ceremony marking the change in chairmanship of the ECCB Monetary Council in Dominica. - The ECCB said the public was invited to help shape the redesign, and each participating member country nominated a person whose life and legacy reflect service, leadership, scholarship and excellence.

The details: - The $100 banknote will feature Sir William Arthur Lewis, Nobel Prize for Economics winner in 1979, and The Right Honourable Sir John George Melvin Compton of Saint Lucia. - The $50 banknote will feature former ECCB Governor Sir K. Dwight Venner, who led the bank from 1989 to 2015, and The Right Excellent Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw of Saint Christopher and Nevis. - The $20 banknote will feature The Right Honourable Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Snr of Antigua and Barbuda and The Honourable Dame Mary Eugenia Charles of Dominica. - The $10 banknote will feature The Most Excellent William Henry Bramble of Montserrat and The Honourable James Ronald Webster of Anguilla. - The $5 banknote will feature The Right Honourable Robert Milton Cato of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Sir Kirani James, LLD (Hons), of Grenada. - The new series adds the ECCB logo encircled by the flags of the ECCU for the first time. - Sir K. Dwight Venner’s likeness moves to the front of the $50 banknote. - Sir William Arthur Lewis moves from the back of the $100 banknote to the front.

Between the lines: - The redesign turns the currency into a stronger symbol of regional pride and political identity, not just a medium of exchange. - The ECCB is also using the update to modernize security and branding cues by making the ECCU logo more prominent across the series. - The public consultation suggests the central bank wanted the change to feel regionally owned rather than imposed from above.

What's next: - The ECCB did not announce a launch date for circulation of the new banknotes in the release. - The redesign of EC coins is expected to follow with the ECCU logo replacing Queen Elizabeth II on the front. - The bank invited readers to follow its updates through its social media channels, including LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X.