BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) says two former prime ministers, a Nobel Laureate, a former ECCB governor as well as an Olympic gold medalist are among persons selected to replace Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on the Eastern Caribbean (EC) banknotes.
ECCB Governor, Timothy N.J. Antoine, unveiled the new designs, marking a historic milestone in the evolution of EC currency.
The ECCB said that circulation of the redesigned notes is expected to begin in late 2027 when, for the first time, the banknotes will no longer feature the likeness of the Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96.
The ECCB said that the new designs showcase distinguished national heroes and prominent figures from across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) reflecting the region’s shared identity, history and achievements.
The ECCU member states are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The EC$100 banknote features Nobel laureate in economic sciences, Sir William Arthur Lewis, and former St. Lucia prime Minister Sir John Compton, while the EC$50 banknote features former ECCB governor, Sir K. Dwight Venner
The EC$20 banknote features the late Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Sr, the first prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and the late Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, the first woman prime minister of Dominica and the only female to feature on the new notes.
The EC$10 banknote features the late William Henry Bramble, a union leader and a political party leader from Montserrat, and James Ronald Webster, a politician from Anguilla, while the five-dollar banknote features St. Vincent and the Grenadines first prime minister, Milton Cato and Sir Kirani James, Grenada’s first-ever Olympic medalist, and the only living person to feature on the notes.
The ECCB’s Monetary Council, had at its meeting on July 21, 2023, approved replacing the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II on the EC currency and directed the ECCB to conduct public consultations.
“Those consultations, conducted between July and December 2023, confirmed strong public support for featuring national heroes and nation builders on the redesigned currency,” the ECCB said in a statement.
“The new series represents a significant step in the evolution of the EC currency. It honours the cultural diversity and enduring legacy of the people who have shaped the Eastern Caribbean. It also preserves the security, integrity and trust that have long defined the EC dollar,” the release added.
