In Other News…

• The Central Bank of Argentina has approved the printing of 10,000 and 20,000 peso banknotes, amid continuing high inflation. The current highest denomination is the 2,000 peso.

The 10,000 peso will feature portraits of Manual Belgrano (19th century politician and military leader considered one of the founding fathers of Argentina) and María Remedios del Valle (independence fighter known as the Mother of the Homeland) on the front, and an artistic recreation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, which took place in February 1812, on the reverse.

The 20,000 peso will feature a portrait of Juan Bautista Alberdi, the 19th century political statesman, on the front and scenes from his childhood on the reverse.

The new notes are expected to go into circulation in June.

• Bank Al Maghrib, Morocco’s central bank, has introduced the second note in its new series – the 200 dirham.

The theme is economic and industrial development achieved under HM King Mohammed VI’s leadership. On the front is his portrait, along with the Mohammed VI Bridge. The reverse shows the Mohammed VI Tower and the new Marrakech-Ménara Airport, along with designs symbolising the development of industry and digital technology in Morocco.

As with the 100 dirham note issued last November, the 200 dirham features a Galaxy® windowed security thread and SPARK® Live for the denomination numeral.

The notes were designed and produced by the Moroccan printworks and Bank Al Maghrib subsidiary Dar As Sikkah.

• The Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) has upgraded the security of its $100 and $50 banknotes, replacing the transparent Optiks® window feature with an embedded NEXUS™ 18mm wide micro-optic stripe from De La Rue that extends the full height of the notes. The stripe features the denomination numeral, along with the text ‘CBSI’, and the images of a shark and crocodile, taken from the Solomon Islands coat of arms.

• The Bank of Papua New Guinea has issued a commemorative banknote and coin to mark the 40th anniversary of its establishment. The 100 kina note is the same as its circulating counterpart, but incorporates an overprint of the Bank’s logo, 10 million pieces have been produced, along with 10 million commemorative 2 kina coins.

• The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) will issue a commemorative 50 lari banknote in 2025 to mark the 30th anniversary of the national currency, and is holding a competition for its design.

The competition is open to both resident and non-resident individuals and entities. The note will be produced on polymer and will contain a transparent window, holographic or micro-optics stripe, optical variable magnetic ink.

The dominant palette must be multi- coloured and noticeably different from the colours of existing lari notes. The Bank has specified a contemporary design for the front of the note, reflecting the national currency and Georgia as a modern European state, while the design on the reverse should be traditional, depicting the history of Georgian money and statehood.

The closing date for design sketches is 11 March. There will be prize for the winning design of GEL 10,000.

• The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is to introduce new banknotes across all denominations, a move prompted by a rise in counterfeiting, particularly of the highest denomination Rs 5,000.

The notes will feature new designs and serial numbers and incorporate state-of- the-art international security features, SPB has said.

As with the National Bank of Georgia, the SPB is holding a competition to elicit innovative and thematic design ideas for the new series. The Art Competition is open to local artists, designers and art students, who have until 11 March to submit their designs, which can be for one, more or all of the seven denominations. The SBP is suggesting themes including, but not limited to, social and cultural identities, demographic diversity, climate change and environment protection, economic development, natural landscapes, architectural heritage and national symbols.

The top three designs for each of the existing seven denominations will be recognised and awarded cash prices. Those designs will then be shared with professional banknote designers and the final designs for submission to the Federal government will be selected through a competitive process.

The SBP has stated that it intends to complete the process of issuing the new series within the next two years. Any decision on the withdrawal of the existing notes will be taken once the new banknotes are issued and in circulation in sufficient quantities.

The current series is in denominations of Rs 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 note. The designs date back to 2006, although there have been several subsequent security upgrades.