Tonga Introduces New Series of Banknotes into Circulation

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The National Reserve Bank of Tonga (NRBT) unveils new series of banknotes featuring Polymer substrates and enhanced security features. On December 4, the National Reserve Bank of Tonga (NRBT) marked a significant milestone with the launch of Tonga's new series of banknotes. The chosen date for the release holds special significance as it commemorates the birthday of King Tupou I, a key modernizer who reigned from 1845 to 1893. Produced in collaboration with De La Rue, the new banknote series incorporates both paper and polymer substrates, introducing updated security elements to enhance durability and deter counterfeiting. This redesign represents Tonga's first use of polymer in its currency since 2015. The series comprises 2-, 5-, 10-, 20-, 50-, and 100-pa’anga notes, with the colors remaining unchanged. Notably, the 5- and 10-pa’anga denominations have transitioned to polymer due to its proven durability, particularly for extensively circulated notes. With one pa’anga being e...
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Unissued Somali Banknotes: A Tale of Printing, Postponement, and Civil Unrest

In the early 2010s, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government commissioned the printing of a new family of banknotes in Sudan, presumably by Sudan Currency Printing Press, the state printer. 

By 2013, Somalia’s new federal government announced the postponement of the introduction of these notes until an unspecified later date, pending the strengthening of financial institutions in Somalia. It remains unclear if Sudan had printed any notes for Somalia during this period.

An article on Hiiraan Online dated June 13, 2018, stated that Bashir Isse Ali, the governor of the Somalia Central Bank, revealed that the government, in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund, was preparing to spend $41 million to print new 5,000-, 10,000-, 20,000-, and 50,000-shilling notes with advanced security features. In earlier interviews, he mentioned that 1,000- and 2,000-shilling notes were also under consideration.

According to a Hiiraan Online article dated March 20, 2021, Abdusalam Omer Hadliye, a former governor (January to September 2013) of the Somalia Central Bank, disclosed that significant quantities of Somali shilling notes remained in a Sudanese warehouse. He indicated that the notes were printed by a German firm, presumably Giesecke & Devrient, and featured seven security features.

In 2023, a civil war erupted in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. As a result, these unissued Somali notes started to surface on the streets of Khartoum. While other denominations may exist, they have not yet been reported.

The notes are brown, green, and purple, featuring Arabic and English text on the front with an image of the National Theatre of Somalia in Mogadishu. The back includes English and Somali text, depicting trees and the Central Bank of Somalia headquarters building in Mogadishu, along with the Somali coat of arms. The notes incorporate a windowed security thread with demetalized Central Bank of Somalia and Arabic text. The watermark consists of a pixelated lion and an electrotype "20000." The printer responsible for producing these notes is unknown. The dimensions are 139 x 66 mm, and the notes are made of paper.

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