PRESS RELEASE
Friday’s 109th Meeting of the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) has noted that new-look Eastern Caribbean currency notes could begin circulating in 2027.
Under the heading ‘Change of Queen’s Image on Eastern Caribbean Currency,’ a meeting communique stated that the redesigned EC$100 banknote could enter circulation by late 2027, with the $5, $10, $20, and $50 banknotes being released at later dates as current stocks are depleted.
According to the communique, each denomination will feature dual portraits of two notable Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) nationals.
The document stated that the redesigned banknotes will feature ten prominent regional figures.
For decades, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait has been a prominent feature on notes and coins issued by the ECCB.
However, ECCU council members made a historic decision last year to remove the monarch’s image from the Eastern Caribbean dollar.
The decision occurred during the 105th Meeting of the Monetary Council on July 21, 2023, in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
That meeting agreed to use the ECCU logo on the EC currency subject to a public consultation process until December 31, 2023, when the public would get an invitation to comment on the proposal to replace the Queen’s image and offer suggestions before a final decision.