ECCB unveils redesigned EC banknotes with national heroes

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has revealed new EC banknote designs that replace Queen Elizabeth II with regional leaders, heroes and symbols from the eight ECCU member countries. The redesign, unveiled July 9 in Dominica, is meant to reflect local identity and heritage across the currency union.

Why it matters: - The redesigned Eastern Caribbean banknotes shift the region’s currency toward local identity, replacing colonial-era imagery with people and symbols tied to the eight ECCU member countries. - The change affects the $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 notes, and the coin redesign will also replace Queen Elizabeth II with the ECCU logo. - The new notes are meant to recognize nation builders, achievements and shared regional heritage across the currency union.

What happened: - Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine and members of the ECCB Monetary Council unveiled the new banknote designs on July 9 during the Ceremony to Mark the Change in Chairmanship of the ECCB Monetary Council in Dominica. - The new series no longer features the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II. - The redesign also introduces the ECCB logo encircled by the flags of the ECCU for the first time.

The details: - The $100 banknote features Sir William Arthur Lewis 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 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 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 will replace the Queen’s likeness on the front with the ECCU logo.

Between the lines: - The public was invited to help shape the currency redesign, and the Monetary Council used that input to steer the selection of honorees. - The shift from royal imagery to regional figures signals a broader move to center Caribbean history, achievement and political identity in everyday currency. - The emphasis on heroes from each member country gives the banknotes a stronger nation-by-nation balance while keeping the shared ECCU framework.

What's next: - The ECCB will move the new designs into circulation as the banknote and coin changes take effect. - The redesigned currency will continue to serve as a high-visibility symbol of ECCU identity across the region. - The bank’s social channels and public communications will likely be used to support the transition.

The bottom line: - The ECCB is turning Eastern Caribbean currency into a regional showcase, replacing a monarch with homegrown leaders, scholars and icons.