ECCB unveils redesigned EC banknotes honoring regional heroes

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank unveiled new EC banknote designs on July 9 in Dominica, replacing Queen Elizabeth II with portraits of national heroes and other regional figures from all eight ECCU member countries. The redesign aims to reflect local identity across currency used throughout the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union.

Why it matters: - The redesigned EC banknotes put regional identity at the center of everyday currency used across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. - The changes replace the likeness of Queen Elizabeth II with portraits of people whose lives and work shaped the ECCU’s member countries. - The new series also introduces the ECCB logo surrounded by ECCU flags, reinforcing a shared regional brand.

What happened: - Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine and members of the Monetary Council unveiled the new banknote designs on Thursday, 9 July, during the Ceremony to Mark the Change in Chairmanship of the ECCB Monetary Council in the Commonwealth of Dominica. - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank said the redesign honors the people, heritage and achievements of the eight ECCU member countries. - The banknotes no longer feature the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

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 The Honourable Sir K. Dwight Venner, who led the bank from 1989 to 2015, and The Right Excellent Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw of Saint Christopher [St Kitts] 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. - Sir K. Dwight Venner’s likeness 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 would replace the likeness of Queen Elizabeth II on the front with the ECCU logo.

Between the lines: - Antoine said the Monetary Council invited the public to help shape the new currency, signaling a deliberate effort to make the notes more representative of the region. - Antoine said the public response called for currency that honors “our own heroes, nation builders, and persons whose lives and achievements have enriched our countries and strengthened our region.” - The move reflects a broader shift from colonial imagery to symbols tied to local achievement and shared Caribbean identity.

What's next: - The ECCB has set out the new designs for circulation across the currency union. - The coin redesign will follow the banknote rollout, with the ECCU logo replacing the Queen’s likeness on EC coins. - The bank says the series will continue to showcase figures selected by member countries to reflect service, leadership, scholarship and excellence.

The bottom line: - The ECCB is recasting the region’s money as a public statement of Caribbean history, pride and sovereignty.