POLYMER $50

Your new polymer $50 is here!

Central Bank is proud to release into circulation a visually stunning redesigned $50 banknote that depicts the natural beauty and vibrant energy of Trinidad and Tobago, is vividly colourful and made of polymer, the material of the future for money. We are the first Central Bank in the Caribbean and the fifth in the Western Hemisphere to issue polymer notes.

Your new $50 banknote is gold in colour. This not only makes it very distinctive and easy to recognise, but also makes it a fitting tribute to mark the Bank’s Golden Anniversary.

Your $50 banknote retains the familiar national symbol of the Coat of Arms, which is now 30 percent larger and given pride of place to the top left of the front of the note, consistent with cutting edge practices in international bank note design.

Your $50 banknote integrates an artistic rendering of a red hibiscus flower and a striking image of the Red-capped Cardinal bird in flight against a clear, transparent window. A young, female masquerader in an award-winning Carnival costume captures the energy of our people.

While its looks are impressive and will certainly get your attention, the most exciting feature of your new $50 polymer banknote is its feel. Polymer is stronger, cleaner and longer-lasting than cotton money. Above all, your new polymer $50 has many security features, making it very difficult or in some cases virtually impossible to counterfeit.

Your new $50 banknote is now available over the counter in banks. The polymer $50 will be available through ATMs on a phased basis across the banks, starting in June 2015. Your new $50 is not a special edition note. It is meant to be used for all your purchases, like you would all other money.

What is polymer?

Polymer is a kind of thin, flexible plastic film that’s made from polypropylene. It has many features that are desirable in the production of money. It is durable and repels dirt. It allows for the printing of several layers of ink and the creation of many features that enhance security, for example, holograms and transparent areas or “windows”.
 

FAQs on T&T Polymer $50 note                                                                     

How to handle your polymer $50 notes

Brief history of polymer notes

Costa Rica, Haiti and the Isle of Man were early adopters of trial polymer notes in the 1980s, but the first country to bring these notes into mass circulation was Australia. The modern polymer banknote was developed by the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the University of Melbourne and issued in 1988, Australia’s 200th anniversary. In 1996, Australia switched completely to polymer notes.

Trinidad and Tobago joins over 20 countries that already use polymer notes. These include Brazil, Chile, Fiji, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, People’s Republic of China, Thailand and Zambia, the first country in Africa to do so.

So far seven countries have switched completely to polymer notes: Australia, Brunei, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Romania and Vietnam. The UK will introduce polymer money in 2016.

Printers of polymer banknotes include the Canadian Bank Note Company and the UK company, De La Rue