ECCB unveils redesigned EC banknotes honoring regional heroes

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has revealed new EC banknote designs that replace Queen Elizabeth II with figures from across the eight-member currency union. The redesign, unveiled in Dominica on July 9, puts national heroes and the ECCB’s regional identity front and center.

Why it matters: - The new EC banknotes shift the currency’s visual identity toward Eastern Caribbean history, leadership and regional pride. - The redesign removes the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II from the banknotes and coins. - The change is meant to reflect the people, heritage and achievements of the eight ECCU member countries.

What happened: - Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine and members of the ECCB Monetary Council unveiled the new banknote designs on Thursday, July 9, during the Ceremony to Mark the Change in Chairmanship of the ECCB Monetary Council in Dominica. - The Monetary Council invited the public to help shape the new currency design. - Each participating member country nominated an individual whose life and legacy reflect service, leadership, scholarship and excellence.

The details: - The $100 banknote features Sir William Arthur Lewis, who won the 1979 Nobel Prize for Economics, and The Right Honourable Sir John George Melvin Compton of Saint Lucia. - The $50 banknote features former ECCB Governor Sir K. Dwight Venner, who served from 1989 to 2015, and The Right Excellent Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw of Saint Christopher [St Kitts] and Nevis. - The $20 banknote features The Right Honourable Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Snr of Antigua and Barbuda and The Honourable Dame Mary Eugenia Charles of Dominica. - The $10 banknote features The Most Excellent William Henry Bramble of Montserrat and The Honourable James Ronald Webster of Anguilla. - The $5 banknote features The Right Honourable Robert Milton Cato of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Sir Kirani James, LLD (Hons), of Grenada. - The new series includes, for the first time, the ECCB logo encircled by the flags of the ECCU. - Sir K. Dwight Venner now appears on the front of the $50 banknote instead of the back. - Sir William Arthur Lewis moved from the back of the $100 banknote to the front. - The redesign for EC coins replaces Queen Elizabeth II on the front with the ECCU logo.

Between the lines: - The banknote changes do more than update artwork. They signal a broader effort to align the currency with regional identity and a shared political message. - The public consultation and member-country nominations suggest the ECCB wanted the redesign to feel collective rather than imposed from above.

What's next: - The ECCB is expected to roll out the redesigned banknotes and coins across the currency union. - The new designs will likely become a visible marker of the ECCU’s move to emphasize homegrown figures and symbols in everyday use. - More information, social updates, Facebook, YouTube, X