The European Central Bank today unveiled the new issue €20 banknote that will enter circulation Wednesday 25th November 2015.

As a manufacturer of cash handling equipment we will have access to the new €20 note in advance of its official release. We will add the new €20 into all applicable Euro datasets over the coming months and release new datasets in due course – providing operators with sufficient time to update all of their validators in the field before 25/11/15.

Speaking at the launch event ECB President, Mario Draghi said “Every central bank needs to upgrade its banknotes periodically to benefit from advances in banknote technology and to maintain their integrity. The new €20 note includes a feature which you won’t have seen before. It is called the “portrait window” and is a real innovation in banknote technology. It is the outcome of the Eurosystem’s work to ensure that the euro notes continue to be resilient against counterfeiting. This will reinforce the trust that the 338 million citizens across the euro area place in their banknotes.”

In total, there are now 17.5 billion euro banknotes in circulation; the total value of these banknotes reached €1,000 billion for the first time in December 2014. The new €20 note is the third denomination in the Europa series that is gradually replacing the original euro banknotes introduced in 2002. It will be followed, over time, by new versions of the €50, €100, €200 and €500 notes.

The new €20 notes will enter into circulation on 25 November this year. By the date of the launch, the Eurosystem will have printed more than 4.3 billion such banknotes.