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The European Central Bank (ECB) has today revealed the new €50 euro banknote which is to begin circulating on 4 April 2017.

Image courtesy of the ECB.

The new banknote is the latest of the Europa banknote series issued by the central bank, gradually replacing the original euro currency issued in 2002 with one that includes up-to-date security features to reduce the risk of counterfeiting. It was unveiled at the ECB in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

The €50 euro banknote will be the fourth of the Europa series to be released, following the €5, €10 and €20 issued in May 2013, September 2014 and November 2015 respectively.

The new note retains the orange colour of its predecessor, albeit in stronger colour tones, and contains various new security features such as the see through portrait window first used on the Europa series €20 banknote. As per the previous banknote series, the public are advised to use the “feel, look and tilt” method for authenticating their banknotes. – see the video below.

Speaking of the new banknote, ECB Executive Board member, Yves Mersch, said

“The introduction of the new €50 will make our currency even safer. Its state-of-the-art security features help protect our money. It is part of our continued efforts to preserve the euro as a stable currency, a currency that 338 million people across the euro area rely on day by day. The gradual launch of the new euro banknotes with new and enhanced features also underlines the Eurosystem’s commitment to cash as a trusted and efficient means of payment.”

Of all euro banknotes, the 50 euro banknote is the most commonly used and accounts for 45% of all notes in circulation. In fact, the total number of €50 notes is more than the €5, €10 and €20 combined. At the same time, the 50 euro banknote is also the most counterfeited, hence the importance of releasing the new Europa series with new, modern security features.

The ECB have released a public education film detailing some of the new note’s different features including a see through window, hologram, optically variable ink, watermark and raised intaglio ink.