New Hong Kong banknotes to thwart counterfeiters … and promote Cantonese culture
Six advanced security safeguards, yum cha and Cantonese opera to feature on new banknotes, set to be in circulation later this year
Hong Kong’s new banknotes will have six advanced security features to prevent counterfeiting, and will showcase the city’s renowned yum cha culture and Cantonese opera.
Unveiled on Tuesday by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the bills will have enhanced watermark and concealed denomination – a numeral visible when the bill is tilted at an angle – among other features.
“Similar to other places, we will at appropriate intervals introduce a new series of banknotes for the purpose of adopting the latest banknote printing technology, thus making it difficult for counterfeiters to imitate or replicate our banknotes,” Norman Chan Tak-lam, chief executive of the HKMA, said.
The new bills, to be put into circulation in phases from the fourth quarter this year, will have new design themes on them: yum cha on HK$20 notes; butterflies (HK$50); Cantonese opera (HK$100); the city’s Unesco Global Geopark (HK$500); and Hong Kong’s position as an international financial centre on HK$1,000 bills.
For the first time, the designs on one side of each new bill will be in a portrait layout.
HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) and Bank of China (Hong Kong) issue notes in the city. Each institution has its own designs, based on the stipulated themes. The three banks and the HKMA spent about three years on the project.
