New currency notes to be issued from Sept. 1

Manama  : New currency notes will be introduced by the beginning of September with a few changes in the BD10 and BD20 notes to enhance their security.

According to a circular distributed in banks in Bahrain by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) recently, “the banknotes will be easier to authenticate and harder to duplicate.”

DT News obtained a copy of the circular, which mentioned, “The CBB is issuing banknotes for denominations BD10 and BD20. These two denominations will have upgraded security features.”

“On all denominations (BD20, BD10, BD5, BD1 and BD1/2), the position of the blind recognition feature will be changed. The banknotes are easier to authenticate, harder to duplicate and more secure than ever before,” the CBB explained in the circular.

However, the CBB also assured that the changes will not eliminate the existing banknotes, stating, “While the latest upgrades of the Bahraini dinar banknotes have undergone changes, all banknotes (upgraded and existing) will be honoured. The existing banknotes will remain in circulation until further notice by the CBB.”

A representative of the CBB confirmed to DT News yesterday that the circulation of the new banknotes will begin by September 1, without revealing any further information.

The CBB archives show that the latest changes made to the Bahraini currency notes were in the first quarter of 2008. On March 17, 2008, new designs and security features were introduced to all denominations.