ECCB unveils redesigned EC banknotes honoring regional heroes

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has unveiled new EC banknote designs that replace Queen Elizabeth II with national heroes and regional icons from across the ECCU. The redesign, revealed in Dominica, aims to reflect the people, heritage and achievements of the currency union’s eight member countries.

Why it matters: - The new EC banknotes shift the currency’s identity toward regional history and leadership. - The redesign gives the ECCU a more locally rooted symbol at a time when governments across the union are emphasizing shared heritage. - The change also extends to EC coins, signaling a broader currency rebrand.

What happened: - Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine and members of the ECCB Monetary Council unveiled the new designs on Thursday, July 9, during the Ceremony to Mark the Change in Chairmanship of the ECCB Monetary Council in the Commonwealth of Dominica. - The redesigned banknotes no longer feature the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II. - The EC currency series now highlights people chosen to reflect service, leadership, scholarship and excellence across the eight ECCU member countries.

The details: - The $100 banknote features Sir William Arthur Lewis, who won the 1979 Nobel Prize for Economics, and The Right Honourable Sir John George Melvin Compton of Saint Lucia. - The $50 banknote features former ECCB Governor Sir K. Dwight Venner, who served from 1989 to 2015, and The Right Excellent Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw of Saint Christopher and Nevis. - The $20 banknote features The Right Honourable Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Snr of Antigua and Barbuda and The Honourable Dame Mary Eugenia Charles of the Commonwealth of Dominica. - The $10 banknote features The Most Excellent William Henry Bramble of Montserrat and The Honourable James Ronald Webster of Anguilla. - The $5 banknote features The Right Honourable Robert Milton Cato of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Sir Kirani James, LLD (Hons), of Grenada. - The new series includes the ECCB logo encircled by the flags of the ECCU for the first time. - Sir K. Dwight Venner now appears on the front of the $50 banknote instead of the back. - Sir William Arthur Lewis has moved from the back of the $100 banknote to the front. - The redesign for EC coins replaces the front likeness of Queen Elizabeth II with the ECCU logo. - The currency changes were guided by public input after the Monetary Council invited residents to help shape the redesign.

Between the lines: - The ECCB is using currency design to reinforce regional identity and showcase figures tied to political leadership, public service and economic achievement. - The removal of Queen Elizabeth II from the notes and coins marks a symbolic break with the colonial-era look of the currency. - The new visuals also create more uniform branding across EC cash, with the ECCU logo appearing on both notes and coins.

What's next: - The ECCB has not announced a rollout date for circulation of the redesigned notes and coins in the release. - The new designs are expected to move through the production and distribution process after the unveiling.

The bottom line: - The Eastern Caribbean’s money is getting a new look, and the region’s own heroes are now front and center.