ECCB unveils redesigned EC banknotes honoring regional heroes

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has unveiled new EC banknote designs that replace Queen Elizabeth II with national heroes and regional icons from across the ECCU. The redesign, announced in Dominica, is meant to reflect the people, heritage and achievements of the eight-member currency union.

Why it matters: - The new EC banknotes shift the currency’s visual identity toward the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union’s own history, leaders and achievers. - The redesign removes the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II from the banknotes and coins. - The changes are meant to reinforce regional ownership of the currency and highlight shared identity across the eight ECCU member countries.

What happened: - Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine and members of the Monetary Council unveiled the new designs on Thursday, July 9, during the Ceremony to Mark the Change in Chairmanship of the ECCB Monetary Council in Dominica. - The ECCB said the new banknotes honor the people, heritage and achievements of the eight ECCU member countries. - The Monetary Council invited the public to help shape the new currency direction before the redesign was finalized.

The details: - The $100 banknote features Sir William Arthur Lewis, the 1979 Nobel Prize winner for economics, 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 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 redesigned EC coins replace the likeness of Queen Elizabeth II on the front with the ECCU logo.

Between the lines: - The redesign signals a broader effort to center regional achievement in everyday public symbols. - The selection of figures spans politics, economics and public service, which gives the new currency a wider national and regional narrative. - The move away from monarchical imagery follows a wider post-colonial trend in public branding across parts of the Caribbean.

What's next: - The ECCB will roll out the new banknote and coin designs across the currency union. - The new currency series will likely become a visible marker of the ECCU’s identity in daily transactions. - More public-facing materials on the redesign may follow through ECCB channels and social media.