ECCB reveals redesigned EC banknotes with regional heroes

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank unveiled new EC banknote designs in Dominica on July 9, replacing Queen Elizabeth II’s likeness with leaders, scholars and cultural icons from the eight ECCU members. The redesign is meant to reflect regional identity and public input, and the bank said coin redesigns will also swap in the ECCU logo.

Why it matters: - The redesign shifts EC currency away from colonial imagery and toward people and achievements from across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. - The new notes are meant to reinforce shared identity across the ECCU’s eight member countries. - The change also gives each member state a visible role in a currency used across the region.

What happened: - Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine and members of the Monetary Council unveiled the new banknote designs on Thursday, July 9, during the Ceremony to Mark the Change in Chairmanship of the ECCB Monetary Council in Dominica. - The new notes no longer feature the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II. - The redesign was presented as a response to public input gathered through the central bank.

The details: - The $100 banknote features Sir William Arthur Lewis, Nobel Prize for Economics winner in 1979, 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 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’s likeness moves to the front of the $50 note from the back. - Sir William Arthur Lewis moves from the back of the $100 note to the front. - The coin redesign replaces Queen Elizabeth II’s likeness on the front with the ECCU logo.

Between the lines: - The bank is using currency design to signal regional ownership and pride, not just to refresh the look of the notes. - Naming one figure from each member country on the banknotes spreads representation across the currency in a deliberate way. - The move also reflects a broader trend among countries and regions that are rethinking symbols tied to monarchy and colonial-era identity.

What's next: - The ECCB did not give a rollout date for circulation of the redesigned notes. - The coin redesign remains part of the broader currency refresh, with the ECCU logo set to replace the Queen’s likeness. - The bank is likely to continue using the new designs to frame the ECCU’s shared history and identity.