new hong kong banknotes · new hong kong banknotes following the issue of new $100 and $500...

21HONG KONG MONETARY AUTHORITY QUARTERLY BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 2004

1 The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited,Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited and Standard CharteredBank (Hong Kong) Limited.

New Hong Kong banknotes

Following the issue of new $100 and $500 banknotes in 2003, Hong Kong’s threenote-issuing banks1 and the HKMA jointly announced on 5 July 2004 that the remaining$20, $50 and $1,000 new banknotes in the series will be put into circulation inOctober 2004.

The colour of the new series banknote has beenstandardised: yellowish gold for $1,000 note, brownfor $500 note, red for $100 note, green for $50 noteand blue for $20 note. The range of colours willprovide the widest possible colour differentiationamong the different denominations.

A number of advanced security features are includedin the new series banknotes:

Denomination Numeral in Optical VariableInkThe colour of the denomination numeral shiftsbetween gold and green when the banknote isviewed at different angles.

Fluorescent Machine Readable BarcodeMachine readable barcode visible under ultraviolet light.

Holographic Windowed ThreadA 4mm-wide metallic thread with holographic imageswoven in the paper.

Iridescent ImagesShimmering iridescent image showing bauhiniaflowers when the banknote is tilted under a bright light.

The designs of the new Hong Kong banknotes for allfive denominations of the three note-issuing banksand illustrations of the security features of the new$1,000 notes are found on the following pages.

In addition to the new security features, the standardfeatures used in the old series of banknotes are alsoincluded in the new series:

Concealed Image / DenominationVisible when the banknote is tilted.

by the Banking Development Department

Intaglio PrintingGiving an embossed feel.

Invisible Fluorescent FibresRed, blue and green fibres (randomly embedded inthe paper) visible under ultraviolet light.

Multitone and Highlight WatermarksCan be seen when the note is held up to the light.

Security ThreadVisible from both sides.

See-Through FeatureThe patterns on the front and back align perfectlywhen the banknote is held up to the light.

Serial NumbersNovel vertical serial number on the left and horizontalserial number on the right.

The security features for all denominations and thecolour scheme for each denomination have beenstandardised to aid recognition. The size ofbanknotes remains the same.

The old series banknotes will remain legal tender andwill circulate along with the new series. They will begradually replaced by the new series through naturalwastage. The HKMA has published an explanatoryleaflet and has organised seminars and otheractivities to inform the public about the designs andsecurity features of the new banknotes. Details ofthese educational programmes can be found on theHKMA website.

Banknote measurement templates were distributedto the organisations for the visually impaired. Adedicated telephone line has been set up to provideguidance for people with visual impairments.

HONG KONG MONETARY AUTHORITY QUARTERLY BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 200422

FEATURE ARTICLE NEW HONG KONG BANKNOTES

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

23HONG KONG MONETARY AUTHORITY QUARTERLY BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 2004

FEATURE ARTICLE NEW HONG KONG BANKNOTES

Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited

HONG KONG MONETARY AUTHORITY QUARTERLY BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 200424

FEATURE ARTICLE NEW HONG KONG BANKNOTES

Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited

25HONG KONG MONETARY AUTHORITY QUARTERLY BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 2004

FEATURE ARTICLE NEW HONG KONG BANKNOTES

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited

New Security Features for the $1000 Note

Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited

Front

DenominationNumeral inOpticalVariable Ink

HolographicWindowed

Thread

Back

FluorescentMachineReadableBarcode

IridescentImages

FrontDenominationNumeral in

OpticalVariable Ink

HolographicWindowed

Thread

Back

FluorescentMachineReadableBarcode

IridescentImages

Front HolographicWindowed

Thread

BackIridescentImages

DenominationNumeral inOpticalVariable Ink

FluorescentMachineReadableBarcode