ECCB unveils redesigned EC banknotes honoring regional heroes

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has revealed new EC banknote designs that replace Queen Elizabeth II with national heroes and regional icons from across the eight-member Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. The rollout, unveiled in Dominica on July 9, signals a shift toward currency imagery centered on Caribbean identity and shared history.

Why it matters: - The redesign puts Eastern Caribbean public figures, not the late Queen Elizabeth II, at the center of the region’s currency. - The new notes are meant to reflect the people, heritage and achievements of the eight ECCU member countries. - The change also introduces a new visual identity for the currency, including the ECCB logo encircled by ECCU flags.

What happened: - Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine and members of the Monetary Council unveiled the new EC banknote designs on Thursday, July 9, during the ceremony marking the change in chairmanship of the ECCB Monetary Council in the Commonwealth of Dominica. - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank said the new banknotes were redesigned to honor the people, heritage and achievements of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. - The banknotes no longer feature the likeness of Queen Elizabeth II.

The details: - The $100 banknote features Sir William Arthur Lewis, winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Economics, and The Right Honourable Sir John George Melvin Compton of Saint Lucia. - The $50 banknote features former ECCB Governor The Honourable 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 likeness of Queen Elizabeth II on the front with the ECCU logo.

Between the lines: - The redesign follows a public invitation for help shaping the next chapter in the currency’s history. - Antoine said the response called for the currency to honor “our own heroes, nation builders, and persons whose lives and achievements have enriched our countries and strengthened our region.” - The imagery shift suggests a broader effort to reinforce regional identity through everyday use of money.

What's next: - The ECCB did not provide a timetable for when the redesigned banknotes and coins will enter circulation. - The banknote series and coin redesign now appear positioned as the next phase of the ECCU’s currency transition.

The bottom line: - The EC currency is being recast as a showcase for Caribbean achievement, replacing colonial-era imagery with figures and symbols drawn from across the region.