Canada introduces first Charles III coins

Canada: The Royal Canadian Mint unveiled its first C$1 coins featuring the image of King Charles III on November 14. The first Canadian coins featuring the new king will begin circulating in December. 

A Canadian artist, Steven Rosati, created the image. Finance minister Chrystia Freeland said Rosati had created “a fitting tribute, and Canada is proud to mark His Majesty’s birthday with the striking of this first circulation coin”.

As in the UK, Canadian coins featuring the late Queen Elizabeth II will continue to circulate until they wear out. Charles’s face on the coin will face left, in contrast to his mother’s image, which faced right.

Argentina: The Central Bank of Argentina has introduced a new version of the 2,000-peso banknote, the country’s highest-value denomination. The new notes will carry a green security thread. 

The 2,000-peso note first entered circulation in May 2023, officially as a “commemorative issue”. The note is a response to triple-digit inflation, which reached 142.7% year on year in October, according to official figures. At the official exchange rate, the note is worth about $5.50, while on the informal market, it would buy less than $2.20.

The notes still carry the same images of two medical pioneers: Cecilia Grierson, the first Argentine woman to become a doctor, and Ramón Carillo, a neurosurgeon and the first health minister.

Eastern Caribbean: The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank will introduce a commemorative $EC2 ($0.74) banknote to celebrate the central bank’s 40^th anniversary. The new note will begin circulating on December 6.

The note features Sir Vivian Richards, a legendary Antiguan cricket player who played for the West Indies international cricket team. The issue also features images of Caribbean marine fauna.

The ECCB monetary council decided in July that it would not replace Queen Elizabeth II’s image on its banknotes with that of King Charles III.  It has proposed replacing the monarch’s image with the currency union’s logo.

As part of its 40^th birthday celebrations, the ECCB co-hosted Central Banking’s Autumn Meetings in November.

Nicaragua: The Central Bank of Nicaragua announced on November 16 that it would issue upgraded versions of its 50- ($1.35) and 200-cordoba ($5.50) banknotes. The new versions of the note will include tactile marks to help partially sighted and blind people identify the denominations, and an iridescent security strip.

Existing 50- and 200-cordoba notes will remain legal tender.

United Arab Emirates: The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates has continued the roll-out of its polymer banknotes series, announcing the introduction of its 500-dirham ($136) note on November 29.

The note features local landmarks. The obverse carries an image of the Terra Sustainability Pavilion from the Dubai Expo, held in late 2021 and early 2022. The reverse shows the Museum of the Future, Emirates Towers and Burj Khalifa, all also in Dubai.

The UAE central bank began issuing polymer dirham notes in 2021, and a 1,000-dirham note in April.

Taiwan: The Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is asking residents to spend spare change. Authorities say putting coins back into circulation – either through spending them or using coin-deposit machines at major banks – will reduce the need to mint new pieces. This in turn will lower the central bank’s carbon footprint.

Colombia: The Polish Mint will produce 316 million 100- and 1,000-peso coins for the Central Bank of Colombia. The Polish state broadcaster announced the €15.8 million ($17.05 million) contract on December 5, citing a statement by the mint.