Commemorative $2 note wins two awards

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) has won two prestigious global awards for its 40th Anniversary $2 Commemorative Banknote, launched in Antigua and Barbuda on December 1, 2023.

The ECCB received the 2023 ‘Bank Note of the Year’ award from the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) and the ‘Best Limited Circulation/Commemorative Banknote’ award from the International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA).

The ECCB announced that the IBNS selected the $2 note as the Bank Note of the Year from nearly 100 newly designed and widely circulated banknotes released in 2023. Notes from 15 countries across three continents—Africa, Asia, and South America—along with five island nations and the Middle East, were nominated for the award.

“According to IBNS, the EC$2 commemorative note was the overwhelming favourite from the onset of voting,” a release from ECCB stated.

Additionally, the IACA named the $2 commemorative note as its Best Limited Circulation Commemorative Banknote, selecting it from among two other finalists in this category.

Speaking on the ECCB’s weekly video programme, ECCB Connects, Governor of the ECCB, Timothy N. J. Antoine, said “these two awards encourage the management and staff of the ECCB to work even harder to serve the people of the currency union. He added that that $2 commemorative note is the very first note issued by the central bank without the image of the British Monarch,” the release added.

The ECCB designed and produced the $2 commemorative banknote in collaboration with its currency partner, De La Rue. The note features the latest in currency security and innovation and celebrates the region’s heritage.

It also features a portrait of the legendary former West Indies cricketer, Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, known as ‘The Master Blaster.’

The award-winning $2 commemorative note is available at commercial banks throughout the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union.