In Other News…

• The Bank of Guyana has announced that it will shortly be issuing a new $2,000 banknote on polymer to commemorate the 55th Anniversary of Independence. The front of the note depicts President Irfan Ali’s ‘One Guyana’ agenda. The reverse shows six children from different ethnic groups.

This is the first banknote of such a denomination issued by Bank of Guyana, sitting between the 1,000 and 5,000 Guyana dollars, bringing to six the number of notes in the series.

• The Advisory Council created by the Bank of Canada to select a ‘note-able’ Canadian to be shown on its new $5 banknote has released a short list of eight people selected out of more than 600 that were proposed in a public consultation.

The nominees, all Canadian by birth or naturalisation who have made a significant contribution to Canadian life (and who are deceased), are: 

• Pitseolak Ashoona – Inuit artist.

• Robertine Barry (Françoise) – writer, journalist and social justice champion.

• Binaaswi (Francis Pegahmagabow) – Canada’s most decorated Indian soldier.

• Won Alexander Cumyow – first Chinese-Canadian born in Canada, who worked for good relations between local and Chinese communities.

• Terry Fox – athlete who lost to cancer a portion of his right leg yet still ran a Marathon of Hope across Canada in 2008 using a prosthetic leg.

• Lotta Hitschmakova – humanitarian.

• Isapo Muxika (Crowfoot) – Indian leader who worked for good interracial relations.

• Onondeyoh (Frederic Ogilvie Loft) – Mohawk chief, political and social activist.

The shortlist will go to the Minister of Finance, who will make the final selection.

• The Czech National Bank will issue a 100 korun note in March as part of part of a set of three depicting the first governors of the Bank to commemorate the Centennial of the Czechoslovak korun in 2019. The first, honouring Alois Rašin, was issued in 2019. The second features Karel Engliš and the third, depicting Vilém Pospíšil, will be issued before 2025.

The notes are being issued at a premium in very limited quantities and, while being legal tender, are not intended for circulation.

• The Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan has announced that a new of 200,000 som banknote will be issued in 2024. The new high denomination note will relieve pressure on lower denominations, in particular the 100,000 and 50,000 soms, which account for just over 34% of notes each in circulation. New versions of both were released late last year as part of the Great Silk Road series.

The Bank has also announced that new coins with a face value of 500 and 2,000 soms will be put into circulation soon. The 2,000 som is currently a banknote, and a new version was also issued last year.

• Nepal Rastra Bank has issued a new 2 rupee coin with an amended map of Nepal and marks for the visually impaired.