Released on September 4, 2006

05 Oct, 2006 - The Central Bank of the Bahamas announced that on September 6, 2006, it released into circulation a new 20 Dollar banknote, the second denomination in its CRISP (Counterfeit Resistant Integrated Security Product) family of banknotes. Compliments of Michael Reissner.

The Central Bank is pleased to announce that on September 6, 2006, it released into circulation the second denomination in its CRISP (Counterfeit Resistant Integrated Security Product) family of banknotes to continue to upgrade the security of Bahamian banknotes. The CRISP $20, which follows the CRISP $10 introduced on 3 August 2005, will incorporate similar security features as the earlier CRISP $10 banknote. In addition, it will bear a denomination specific watermark of Sir Milo B. Butler and the numeral 20 appearing on the left.

These new banknotes will circulate alongside the existing notes, until declared unfit for circulation. "The decision to eventually replace the old banknotes with new ones is part of an ongoing exercise to enhance the security features of the banknotes, thereby providing greater protection against counterfeiting", says Governor Craigg. "This exercise is quite common worldwide and has increased in importance given the growing ease with which digital technology has facilitated these illicit activities".

As part of its public education initiatives, the Bank has available, and has distributed to banks and other cash handlers, flyers and posters which describe the new security features of the $20 banknote. "Our objective is to ensure that the public is able to distinguish more easily and reliably genuine banknotes from counterfeits, and we intend to complement these public relations measures with seminars during the months of October and November", says Deputy Banking Manager Mr. Derek Rolle.

The Bank is pleased with the combination of security and aesthetic features used to create the new note, which is charcoal, red, and green in colour, and continues to bear the portrait of Sir Milo Butler on the front and a vignette of the Nassau Harbour on the back. The names of the Islands of The Bahamas have been made larger, so that the public is able to read them and use that portion of the note as a pocket-sized map of the country. Also, the engravings on the new note are deeper and thicker, which results in a more tactile feeling on the surface.

The public can help reduce opportunities for counterfeiters by checking their banknotes for several upgraded security features:

. A new watermark-the previous note bore a watermark of a Spanish Galleon, while the new note boasts a watermark of Sir Milo Butler and the numeral 20 (front left)

. A new windowed thread-that is much wider and weaves in and out of the paper, and changes colour when the note is tilted (front center)

. A new see-through feature-that shows only a partial image of the sand dollar until it is held up to a light source when a complete image of the sand dollar appears (front left, back right) . Optically variable ink with colour shifts-so that when the note is tilted back and forth, varying images of the numeral 20 and the sand dollar appear in different colours (front left).

For more information on Bahamian banknotes and the security features, the public is welcomed to call the Banking Department of the Central Bank at 242-302-2629 or visit the Bank's website at www.centralbankbahamas.com.

Extract from Central Bank of The Bahamas website.