Russia Unveils New Plans for Banknotes and Cash Circulation

The Board of the Central Bank of Russia has issued its ‘Guidelines for Cash Circulation Development in 2021-2026’. Its over-arching goals are to ensure the stability of cash circulation, optimise costs based on the development of technical infrastructure, as well as the formation of partnerships with banks for holding stocks of banknotes.

Included within the goals is the phased modernisation of the country’s banknotes in order to improve their quality. From 2021-2025, six new banknotes will be introduced with improved security and designs.

The first of these – the 100 rubles – will be introduced in 2022, followed by the 1,000 and 5,000 rubles in 2023, the 500 rubles in 2024 and 10 and 50 rubles in 2025. The 200 rand 2,000 rubles, both introduced in 2017, will not be included in the new series.