In a landmark moment for the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) has launched a fully redesigned series of Eastern Caribbean (EC) banknotes that reframes regional currency around the people, native heritage, and collective achievements of the ECCU’s eight member states.
ECCB Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine presented the new designs to the public during a special ceremony held at the InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort in the Commonwealth of Dominica, coinciding with the event to mark the change in chairmanship of the ECCB Monetary Council. The launch stands as a historic milestone in the decades-long evolution of EC currency, marking the first time the region’s banknotes will not carry the portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
In place of the former British monarch’s image, the new banknote series highlights celebrated national heroes and pioneering leaders from across the ECCU’s member nations, a choice designed to reflect the region’s unified shared identity, unique independent history, and transformative collective accomplishments. Each denomination features two influential figures that have shaped Eastern Caribbean life:
– The $100 banknote honors Sir William Arthur Lewis, the Caribbean-born Nobel laureate in economic sciences, alongside The Right Honourable Sir John George Melvin Compton
– The $50 denomination showcases The Honourable Sir K. Dwight Venner, who served as ECCB Governor from 1989 to 2015, paired with The Right Excellent Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw
– The $20 banknote features The Right Honourable Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Snr and The Honourable Dame Mary Eugenia Charles
– The $10 banknote spotlights The Most Excellent William Henry Bramble and The Honourable James Ronald Webster
– The $5 banknote pairs founding leader The Right Honourable Robert Milton Cato with Olympic champion Sir Kirani James, LLD (Hons)
The shift to a locally focused banknote design followed formal approval from the ECCB Monetary Council at its 105th meeting held on July 21, 2023, when council members voted to replace Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait and directed the ECCB to lead a period of public outreach and consultation on the new concept. Those public consultations, carried out across all member states between July and December 2023, revealed overwhelming public support for the plan to feature national heroes and nation builders on the redesigned currency.
ECCB officials frame the new banknote series as a meaningful step forward for the EC dollar that balances cultural reorientation with long-term stability. The redesign celebrates the rich cultural diversity of the eight ECCU members and enshrines the enduring legacy of the individuals who built modern Eastern Caribbean society. At the same time, the new series retains all of the advanced security features that have preserved the integrity and public trust that has long defined the EC dollar.