Banco de la República Starts Circulating the 50 Thousand-Peso Banknote

Publication Date:
15:50

On 30th June 2016, Banco de la República started circulating the new 20 Thousand-Peso banknote, the third of the new family of banknotes

The Lost City (central to the Tayrona culture), the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a hummingbird feeding from a flower, and a Burgao snail, together with the Nobel prize in literature Gabriel García Márquez1 are the image of the new banknote.

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

  • Look: Violet is the predominant color of the new banknote, with changes in tone. Its measurements are 148 mm × 66 mm; it is printed on 100% cotton security paper.
  • Touch: Feel the embossed images and texts: the figure of the Nobel Prize for literature, the number 50 in Braille, the texts “CINCUENTA MIL PESOS” and “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA,” the logo of the Central Bank, signatures, micro-texts, and the indigenous people from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, among other things. 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 the Nobel Prize for Literature Gabriel García Márquez and the number 50 against the light.
  • Tilt: Note the color change and motion effects present on the image of the hummingbird feeding from a flower and on the security ribbon, 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 other denominations of the new family of banknotes to begin circulating is:

  • Fourth quarter: $10 thousand, $5 thousandy $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 50 thousand-peso Banknote

Obverse

Embossed printing

  • Image of the Nobel Prize for Literature Gabriel García Márquez.
  • Text: “50 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.
  • Fringes with oval figures on the sides of the face.
  • Common and scientific name of the hummingbird.
  • Six diagonal lines on the side edges.
  • The number fifty in Braille, on the bottom center (slightly to the left).

Matching images

On the left, matching images of the Burgao snail and the text “BRC,” printed partially by front and back, are completed against the light.

Watermarks

On the left side of the banknote Gabo’s face can be seen against the light with a three-dimensional effect and the number “50.”

Images with color change and movement

The hummingbird feeding from a flower on the left-hand side of the banknote changes from green to blue; simultaneously, the intense green circle appears to move.

Hidden image)

On the left side of the face, on the blue fringe, when holding the banknote in an almost horizontal position from the lower right-hand corner at the height of the eyes, the text “BRC” is displayed.

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 oval figures, micro-texts, and the Burgao snail fluoresce in orange and green.

Micro-texts: to be observed with a magnifying glass

  • The text “Banco de la República” can be read on some undulations located besides the standing character.
  • On the violet strip to the right-hand side of the face the texts “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA” and “BRC” can be read.
  • On the light red vertical line to the right of the banknote, the text “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA” can be found.

Reverse

Embossed printing

  • Image of two indigenous people from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
  • Terraces at the Lost City.
  • Indigenous houses at the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
  • Extract from the speech “The Solitude of Latin America,” with which Gabo received the Nobel Prize.
  • The logo of Banco de la República.
  • The texts “50 MIL PESOS” and “CINCUENTA MIL PESOS".
  • Text: “CIUDAD PERDIDA, SIERRA NEVADA DE SANTA MARTA".

Security Ribbon

  • When tilting the banknote, the central part of the security ribbon changes its color from copper to green.
  • The security ribbon within the paper can be seen against the light, with the text “BRC” and the silhouette of the burgao snail.

Matching images

Matching images of the Burgao snail and the text “BRC” (inverted), partially printed by front and back, completed against the light.

Watermarks

On the right-hand side of the banknote the face of Gabo can be seen against the light, with a three-dimensional effect and the number 50 (inverted).

Exposure to ultraviolet light

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

  • Small fibers that fluoresce in yellow and red, randomly distributed throughout the banknote.
  • Some oval figures, micro-texts and the Burgao snail fluoresce in orange and green.

Micro-texts: to be observed with a magnifying glass

  • At the top right, a fragment of the speech “The Solitude of Latin America,” with which Gabo received the Nobel Prize, is embossed.
  • The text “BRC” can be observed in the silhouettes of some of the mountains and on the rims of the clothing worn by the indigenous people.
  • 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 50 thousand-peso banknote.

To access the free training sessions offered by the Central Bank at its branches and cultural centers, please visit: http://www.banrep.gov.co/curso-billetes-monedas

 

1This banknote pays homage to the Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez, complying with Act 1741 of 2014.