Starting Monday, new banknotes featuring national landmarks instead of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s portrait will be available at bank branches across Dhaka.
The Bangladesh Bank has issued redesigned 20, 50, and 1000 Taka notes following the political shift after the fall of the Awami League government in August.
The notes are being distributed in limited quantities, with full-scale availability expected later.
Initially, the central bank`s Motijheel office began distribution on Sunday to select banks, including Sonali, Janata, Agrani, Rupali, Pubali, Uttara, Dutch-Bangla, Islami Bank Bangladesh, Al-Arafah Islami, and BRAC Bank.
These banks received allocations for their local offices. More banks will be included in the rollout from Monday. Distribution across branches will depend on individual banks’ internal decisions.
Due to limited printing capacity, an estimated 200 crore Taka worth of notes have been produced.
Most of these are being supplied to banks, while a smaller portion will be exchanged directly at Bangladesh Bank branches. Other cities outside Dhaka are unlikely to receive new notes before the Eid holidays.
The new 1000 Taka note, printed on 100% cotton paper, includes a watermark of a Bengal tiger and is predominantly violet.
The front side features the National Martyrs’ Memorial, with a background image of the national flower, the water lily. The reverse side shows the National Parliament House.
The 50 Taka note is brown, featuring Ahsan Manzil and Zainul Abedin’s painting “Sangram” on the back.
The 20 Taka note is green, with the Kantaji Temple and the Somapura Mahavihara illustrated.
The previously printed notes bearing Mujib’s portrait were suspended from circulation after August, creating a shortage and increasing public demand for fresh notes. All existing notes and coins remain legal tender.
