2018-09-18 Tue

New €100 and €200 banknotes from the Europa series will be officially circulated from 28th May 2019. The designs of these two notes were revealed yesterday by the European Central Bank. New versions of €5, €10, €20 and €50 banknotes have already been released. The series would be complete after €100 and €200 banknotes enter circulation.

Like all notes from this series, the latest release also comes with high-security features that can be checked using the “feel, look and tilt” method. A silver coloured stripe shows a portrait of Europa, the architectural motif and a large '€' symbol. A satellite hologram is placed above the silvery stripe. This hologram features € symbols that move around the number and become more legible when light falls directly on it. The latest two notes have an enhanced emerald number with € symbols inside the numerals. Other notes from the series have the emerald number but they do not contain € symbols. The size of old and new versions of €100 and €200 notes differ. The new versions have the same height as the €50 banknote. The length of new notes from the series keeps on increasing with the denomination. As all notes have the same height now, they can be easily processed by machines. The new notes fit inside wallets better and are more durable as well.

All notes from the new series also feature machine-readable security features. The new €100 and €200 banknotes have improved versions of these features. New features have also been included so that the notes are processed and authenticated quickly.

The Eurosystem consists of the ECB and 19 euro area national central banks. It supports technology providers who manufacture banknote-handling machines and authentication devices so that the transition is smooth.

Image Courtesy: The European Central Bank