Banco de la República Starts Circulating the 20 Thousand-Peso Banknote

Attachments
Press Release, printed version
Publication Date:
15:40

On 30th June 2016, Banco de la República started circulating the new 20 thousand-peso banknote, the second of the new family of banknotes

The channels at La Mojana1 in the region where the Zenú people settled, the fruit of the anón, the Zenú earring and the sombrero vuetiao2 , together with the figure of President Alfonso López Michelsen, are the image of the new banknote.

Look, touch, lift, tilt, and check are the five steps to recognize the new banknote.

  • Look: Orange is the predominant color of the new banknote, with changes in tone. Its measurements are 143 mm × 66 mm; it is printed on 100% cotton security paper.

  • Touch: Feel the embossed surface of some images and texts: the figures of the President, the number 20 in Braille, the texts “VEINTE MIL PESOS” and “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA,” the logo of the Central Bank, signatures, micro-texts, and the farmer loading arrow cane, among others. These elements facilitate verification of the banknote, especially for the visually impaired. The Central Bank will continue providing, free of charge, a measuring template for the new banknotes in order to help this population identify the denominations based on their sizes.

  • Lift: Discover the watermarks with the face of President Alfonso López Michelsen and the number 20 against the light.

  • Tilt: Note the color change and motion effects present in the fruit of the anón and on the security thread, innovative elements that use last generation inks and threads. Also, discover the hidden image (BRC).

  • Check: Items fluoresce when exposed to ultraviolet light, and micro-texts can be read with a magnifying glass.

As announced, the schedule for the launch of the other denominations of the new family of banknotes is as follows:

  • Third quarter: $50 thousand
  • Fourth quarter: $10 thousand, $5 thousand and $2 thousand. 

The new family of banknotes responds to the needs of the economy, pays homage to outstanding personalities of the country, and exalts our biodiversity, turning it into the new image of our banknotes.

 

Main Security Elements on the 20 Thousand-Peso Banknote

Obverse

Embossed printing

  • Image of President Alfonso López Michelsen.
  • Text: “20 MIL PESOS” in the upper left corner.
  • Texts: “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA” and “COLOMBIA".
  • The signatures of the Governor of the Central Bank and its Deputy Executive Governor.
  • Undulating stripes on the sides of the face.
  • Common and scientific names of the anón, the fruit of Annona.
  • Five diagonal lines in the side edges.
  • The number twenty in Braille on the bottom center (slightly to the left).

Matching images

  • The left side features the text “BRC” partially printed in the front and back, completed when observed against the light.
  • On the left, when holding the banknote against the light, a Zenú earring printed on the front side is complemented by another earring printed on the reverse, forming a sombrero vueltiao as seen from above.

Watermarks

On the left side of the banknote President Alfonso López Michelsen's face appears against the light, with a three-dimensional effect and the number “20.”

Images with color change and movement

The fruit of the anón changes from green to blue; simultaneously, the intense green circle appears to move.

Hidden image

When observing the banknote from an almost horizontal position at the height of the eyes from the lower right-hand corner, the text “BRC” can be seen on the brown and orange strip at the sides of the face.

Exposure to ultraviolet light

The surface of the banknote must remain opaque, except for the following items:

  • Small fibers that fluoresce in yellow and red, randomly distributed throughout the banknote.
  • The security ribbon fluoresces in two colors, red and yellow, in an interleaved fashion.
  • The series number located at the bottom fluoresces in yellow.
  • Some undulations, micro-texts, and the Zenú earring fluoresce in orange and green.

Micro-texts: to be observed with a magnifying glass

  • The text “BRC” can be read in some undulations located besides the standing character.
  • On the orange fringe located to the right of the face the texts “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA” and “BRC” can be found.
  • On the turquoise-blue vertical line to the right of the banknote, the text “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA” can be found.

Reverse

Embossed printing

  • Image of the channels at La Mojana, located at the bottom center.
  • Farmers loading arrow cane.
  • The sombrero vueltiao.
  • The poem by Benjamín Puche Villadiego allusive to the sombrero vueltiao.
  • The logo of Banco de la República.
  • The texts “20 MIL PESOS” and “VEINTE MIL PESOS".
  • Texts: “SISTEMA HIDRÁULICO PREHISPÁNICO DE LOS ZENÚES” and “SOMBRERO VUELTIAO".

Security Ribbon

  • On the reverse, the right-hand side of the security ribbon changes from green to violet.
  • When observing the security ribbon to the light, the text “BRC” and the silhouette of the Zenú earring can be seen.

Matching images

  • The right-hand side features the text "BRC" (inverted), partially printed in the front and back, completed when observed against the light.
  • On the same side, holding the banknote against the light, a Zenú earring printed on the reverse is complemented by another earring printed on the obverse, forming a sombrero vueltiao as seen from above.

Watermarks

On the right side of the banknote, the face of Alfonso López Michelsen with a three-dimensional effect and the number “20” (inverted) can be seen against the light.

Exposure to ultraviolet light

The surface of the banknote must remain opaque, except for the following items:

  • Small fibers that fluoresce in yellow and red, randomly distributed throughout the banknote.
  • Some undulations, micro-texts, and the Zenú earring fluoresce in green and orange.

Micro-texts: to be observed with a magnifying glass

  • The poem by Benjamín Puche Villadiego allusive to the sombrero vueltiao is embossed at the top right.
  • The text "BRC" can be read on one of the arrow canes, as well as in some of the edges of the channels and on a semicircle located to the left of the poem.
  • The word "COLOMBIA" can also be read on the farmer's mochila.
  • The right-hand side displays the date of approval of the banknote's edition, and the text “IMPRENTA DE BILLETES-BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA".

Banco de la República has also made available to the public, free of charge, teaching materials and a smartphone and tablet application for iOS and Android operating systems, where you can consult the security elements of the new 20 thousand-peso banknote.

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1Prehispanic hydraulic system of the Zenú people. Artistic design inspired by Nicolas Lozano's illustration, published in Carmen María Jaramillo (1987). “Así éramos los Zenúes”, Bogotá: Banco de la República. Fundación de Investigaciones Arqueológicas Nacionales.

2This banknote pays homage to President Alfonso López Michelsen, complying with Act 1599 of 2012. Similarly, the sombrero vueltiao (Protected Designation of Origin: Zenú weaving, 2011) complies with Act 908 of 2004.