New $1,000 and $500 bills to be issued

The Bank of Guyana yesterday said that new $1,000 and $500 bills with improved security features are to be introduced.

In a statement, the bank said the new currency notes will circulate concurrently with the existing notes of both denominations. Both notes will carry a `holographic stripe’ and an upgraded watermark among other features.

In addition, the $500 bill will carry a new see-through design pattern. The statement said that the holographic stripe is a security feature that is visible on the surface of the paper and has a metallic sheen. The stripe has the image of a full-colour macaw which will be visible depending on the viewing angle.

The statement said that the watermark will carry the added feature of an electro-type image of the denomination of each note. This will be visible when the notes are held up to the light. Double letters proceeded by numbers will also be seen vertically to the extreme left of the note and horizontally to the top right of each note. Further, the security thread will now be visible from the back of the notes.

The new $500 note also has an upgraded see-through design pattern which can be seen at the extreme left and right of the note.