Colombia new banknote family reported for introduction in 2016


Despite years of planning to remove three zeros from the currency, according to a press release dated 25 September 2015, in 2016 the Banco de la República Colombia will introduce a new family of notes in denominations of 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000 pesos. The 100,000-peso note is new.
The new family of banknotes gives continuity to the concept of biodiversity present in the family of coins that began circulating in June 2012, while highlighting a group of cultural elements and landscapes of our geography which have become symbols of the Colombian wealth, variety and creativity. Additionally, it pays tribute to major characters of the country’s culture, science and politics, and reinforces recognition of women’s role in the Colombian society.
  • $100,000 banknote. The obverse will pay tribute to President Carlos Lleras Restrepo, complying with Act 1167 of 2007. The reverse will contain an image of Valle de Cocora, Quindío, and the wax palm, the national tree. To be issued 2016Q1.
  • $50,000 banknote. The front will be dedicated to our Nobel prize in literature, Gabriel García Márquez, complying with Act 1741 of 2014. The reverse side will include a picture of Ciudad Perdida, the heart of the Tayrona culture in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. To be issued 2016Q3.
  • $20,000 banknote. The front will be devoted to president Alfonso López Michelsen, complying with Act 1599 of 2012. The back will present the image of the canals at La Mojana where the Zenú people settled, and the famous “sombrero vueltiao,” complying with Act 908 of 2004. To be issued 2016Q2.
  • $10,000 banknote. The front will portray the image of anthropologist Virginia Gutierrez, a pioneer in family research in Colombia. The back will feature an image of the Amazon with its exotic biodiversity. To be issued 2016Q4.
  • $5,000 banknote. The front will include the image of the poet José Asunción Silva. The reverse will display the Colombian páramos, ecosystems of unparalleled wealth. To be issued 2016Q4.
  • $2,000 banknote. The front will bear the image of painter Débora Arango, a pioneer of modern art in Colombia. The reverse will exalt Caño Cristales, the beautiful river of five colors, located in the Sierra de la Macarena. To be issued 2016Q4.
The new banknotes will share special characteristics. They will incorporate inks and security threads of vivid colors with color changing and movement effects to facilitate their identification. Also, they will serve to address more adequately the needs of the visually impaired thanks to differentiation in their sizes and the incorporation of touch-sensitive elements.

Courtesy of Cleo Phas, Camilo Uribe Botta, and Cedrian López Bosch.