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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Explained: What are Polymer Banknotes?

Polymer banknotes are made from plastic (polymer substrate) and offer distinct durability and security advantages over traditional paper banknotes. Paper banknotes aren’t made from paper at all, in fact, they are commonly made from a cotton blend which explains why the banknote can survive a spin cycle in your washing machine. Polymer banknotes not only feel completely different when held, they also allow new design features, artwork and some even become commemorative of a bank’s decision to make the switch making them more desirable to collectors. In addition, counterfeiting currency has led to an increased demand in security features that paper banknotes simply don’t have.

Modern polymer banknotes were pioneered by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and The University of Melbourne. These innovative notes were first introduced as legal tender in Australia in 1988, coinciding with the bicentennial year. By 1996, the Australian dollar fully transitioned to polymer banknotes.

In Europe, Romania took the lead by issuing a plastic banknote in 1999, becoming the third country globally, following Australia and New Zealand, to complete the transition to polymer by 2003.

Several other currencies worldwide have embraced polymer banknotes, including the Vietnamese đồng (2006, for denominations above 10,000 đồng), the Brunei dollar (2006), the Nigerian Naira (2007), the Papua New Guinean kina (2008), the Canadian dollar (2013), the Maldivian rufiyaa (2017), the Mauritanian ouguiya (2017), the Nicaraguan córdoba (2017), the Vanuatu vatu (2017), the Eastern Caribbean dollar (2019), and the British pound sterling (2021).

Numerous countries have introduced polymer banknotes either into commemorative issues or general circulation. Notable adopters include Nigeria, Cape Verde, Chile, The Gambia, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Botswana, São Tomé and Príncipe, North Macedonia, the Russian Federation, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Morocco, Albania, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Israel, China, Taiwan, Kuwait, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Isle of Man, Guatemala, Haiti, Libya, Mauritius, Costa Rica, Honduras, Angola, Namibia, Lebanon, the Philippines, and Egypt.

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