In a historic milestone marking a new chapter for regional currency, Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Governor Timothy N J Antoine has officially unveiled a fully redesigned series of Eastern Caribbean (EC) banknotes, created to celebrate the diverse people, cultural heritage, and collective achievements of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU)’s eight member states.
For the first time since the EC dollar’s introduction, the redesigned banknotes do not carry the portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II. In her place, the new currency series highlights distinguished national heroes and foundational nation-builders from across the ECCU, a choice that reflects the bloc’s shared regional identity, independent history, and transformative collective progress.
Each denomination in the new series features a pair of iconic regional figures: the $100 banknote honors Nobel Prize-winning economist Sir William Arthur Lewis and former St. Lucia Prime Minister The Right Honourable Sir John George Melvin Compton; the $50 note spotlights long-serving former ECCB Governor (1989–2015) The Honourable Sir K Dwight Venner and St. Kitts and Nevis national hero The Right Excellent Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw; the $20 note carries the portraits of Antigua and Barbuda founding father The Right Honourable Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Snr and former Dominica Prime Minister The Honourable Dame Mary Eugenia Charles; the $10 note features Montserrat leader The Most Excellent William Henry Bramble and Anguilla founding father The Honourable James Ronald Webster; and the lowest denomination, the $5 note, showcases St. Vincent and the Grenadines first prime minister The Right Honourable Robert Milton Cato and Olympic gold-medal winning sprinter Sir Kirani James, LLD (Hons).
The shift away from the late monarch’s portrait was not a sudden decision: the ECCU’s Monetary Council first approved the change at its 105th meeting held on July 21, 2023, and later directed the ECCB to carry out region-wide public consultations to gather input from residents across the bloc. These consultations, conducted between July and December 2023, revealed overwhelming public support for replacing the former portrait with images of homegrown heroes and leaders who shaped the modern Eastern Caribbean.
Governor Antoine framed the new banknote series as a meaningful step forward in the evolution of EC currency. Beyond celebrating the region’s rich cultural diversity and the enduring legacy of leaders who built the bloc, the updated series also retains the advanced security features that have long protected the EC dollar’s integrity, stability, and public trust.
The official unveiling took place during a public ceremony marking the ECCB Monetary Council’s change in chairmanship, which was broadcast to a global regional audience via live stream on the ECCB Connects Facebook page and YouTube channel.