In Other News…

• The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has issued a new 20 pound (LE) note on polymer, following the issue of a polymer LE10 last year.

Designed by the Central Bank of Egypt and De La Rue, and printed by the former at its new printworks, the new LE20 contains a finely detailed hologram of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali in the polymer window. The hologram – an Alphagram® – was supplied by SURYS.

The window is surmounted by a MASK™ design which shows ‘20’ in transmission and is the first note in the series to include a tactile emboss feature in the form of ADA braille dots, located in the upper left corner. Under UV, elements of the design appear in blue and yellow. The reverse of the note features an engraving of Queen Cleopatra.

The polymer substrate is a combination of De la Rue’s SAFEGUARD and CCL Secure’s GUARDIAN™, as was the case for the polymer LE 10.

The new note will co-circulate with the existing LE 20 (the design of which dates back to the late 1970s), which remains legal tender.

According to the CBE, the LE 20 was the fourth most widely circulated note in 2022, after the LE 200, 100, and 50 notes.

• The Central Bank of Samoa has issued a 60 tala commemorative banknote marking the 60th anniversary of the Pacific Island nation’s independence.

The new note was designed and printed by De La Rue on paper and features a blue/green 4.5mm IGNITE® security thread which depicts a Samoan Fue (a fly whisk) that pulses when tilted. Under UV light GEMINI™ can be seen on the front of the note.

The note also includes a watermark of the teuila, Samoa’s national flower, with the letters CBS.

The banknote features a father and daughter who were both appointed to the office of Prime Minister. On the front is a portrait of the current, and first female, Prime Minister of Samoa, the Hon Fiame Naomi Mataafa. The back depicts the first Prime Minister, the Hon Fiame Mataaga Faumuina Mulinuu II, depicted lowering the New Zealand flag and raising that of Samoa.

• The Central Bank of Argentina will be issuing the new 1,000 pesos note in July (see page 17). It follows the introduction of the new high denomination 2,000 pesos last month.

• The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) is reported to be issuing a new 1 manat note in August or September, stating that the current banknotes are outdated, despite them only being issued three years ago.

• The Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten has announced that Crane Currency and the Royal Canadian Mint will produce and supply its new Caribbean guilder banknotes and coins, respectively. The new currency, replacing the Netherlands Antilles guilder, will be issued in the second half of 2024.