In Other News…

• A collectible banknote called Sláva Ukrajině (Glory to Ukraine) has been issued in the Czech Republic. The front of the banknote displays the statue of Beregini on Independence Square in Kyiv. On the back are Ukrainian flags and the oldest church in Kiev – St Sophia Cathedral. The 20,000 banknotes were created by the coin maker České dukáty and the Czech banknote printer STC. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to charities supporting the people of Ukraine.

Also supporting Ukraine is the Estonian central bank – Eesti Pank – which is planning to issue a commemorative €2 coin later this year. It has been designed by a Ukrainian refugee who is studying at the Estonia Academy of Arts, and will feature a an image of a girl holding a bird and a sheaf of wheat, along with the text Sláva Ukrajině. All proceeds from the sale of the coin will be donated to the National Bank of Ukraine.

The central banks of Latvia and Lithuania are also reported to be considering the issue of euro coins dedicated to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the NBU has announced the results of voting for the best design and creative works to honour Ukraine’s fight against Russia, and has started to work on the first of a series of commemorative coins that will tell the world about Ukraine’s resistance.

Almost 3,000 citizens took part in the voting, choosing from 80 sketches by the 35 designers who participated in the competition. Up to 10 different designs could be used for the series.

• A new £1 coin will enter circulation in 2023, marking the coin’s 40th anniversary. According to the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the new design will celebrate the culture, creativity, heritage and history of the UK in the 21st century. The chosen artist, Michael Armitage, has an English father and Kenyan mother, and spent his childhood in East Africa before training as an artist in the UK.

The design will become the standard circulating £1 coin and will include the current high security features to protect against counterfeiting. This is the first redesign of the 12-sided coin since its introduction in 2017.

• The Central Bank of the Republic of Argentina (BRCA) Argentina has showcased the designs of its new series of banknotes, in which the images of indigenous fauna and their habitats that feature on the current series, issued from 2016-2018, will be replaced by famous Argentineans.

According to the BRCA, the four denominations (the 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 pesos) ‘include the representation of three women and three men, transcendent and decisive figures in the construction of our country, who fought for independence, development, inclusion and the expansion of rights’. Among them is Eva Peron (Evita), who makes a return to the 100 pesos.

The colours and sizes of the notes will remain the same as the current series, with which they will co-circulate, but will revert to a horizontal orientation. They will enter into circulation later this year.