Banco de la República Starts Circulating the 5 Thousand-Peso Banknote

Attachments
Press Release, printed version
Publication Date:
15:26

On 9 November 2016 Banco de la República started circulating the new $5 thousand-peso banknote, the fourth of the new family of banknotes.

The poet José Asunción Silva, the Colombian moorlands (páramos), a puya plant, and a bumblebee are the image of the new banknote. This banknote will circulate simultaneously with the current.

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

The new 100,000, 50,000, and 20,000 peso banknotes are currently circulating. Soon, the last denominations of this new family, the 2 thousand and 10 thousand peso banknotes will start circulating.

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.

  • Look: Brown is the predominant color of the new banknote, introducing changes in tone. Its measurements are 133 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 poet, the number “5” in Braille, the texts “CINCO MIL PESOS” and “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA,” the logo of the Central Bank, signatures, and micro-texts, 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 the poet José Asunción Silva and the number “5” against the light.
  • Tilt: Note the color change effect in the image of the puya plant 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.

 

Main Security Features of the New 5 Thousand-Peso Banknote

Obverse

Embossed printing

  • Images of the poet José Asunción Silva.
  • Text: “5 MIL PESOS” in the upper left corner.
  • The texts: “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA” and “COLOMBIA".
  • The signatures of the Governor of the Central Bank and its Deputy Executive Governor.
  • Stripes with hexagonal figures on the sides of the face.
  • Three diagonal lines in the side edges.
  • The number “5” in Braille on the bottom center (slightly to the left).

Matching images

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

Watermarks

On the left side of the banknote, José Asunción Silva’s face can be seen against the light with a threedimensional effect and the number “5.”

Images with color change

The puya plant is printed in copper. When turning the banknote, the internal part changes to green.

Hidden image

When observing the banknote in 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 strip on the left-hand side 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 geometric figures and patterns, micro-texts and the bumblebee fluoresce in orange and green.

 

Micro-texts: to be observed with a magnifying glass

  • In some hexagons located to the sides of the character, the texts “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA” and “BRC” can be seen.
  • Two vertical lines, a brown one to the left of the standing character and a blue one on the right-hand side of the face, contain the text “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA".

Reverse

Security Ribbon

  • On the reverse, when tilting the banknote, the security ribbon changes from fuchsia to green.
  • The text “BRC” and the silhouette of the bumblebee can be seen against the light in the security ribbon.

Matching images

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

Watermarks

On the right-hand side of the banknote, José Asunción Silva’s face can be seen against the light with a three-dimensional effect and the number “5” (inverted).

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 geometric figures and patterns, micro-texts and the bumblebee fluoresce in orange and green.

 

Micro-texts: to be observed with a magnifying glass

  • The text “BRC” can be read on three curved lines which form part of the landscape.
  • The top right features José AsunciónSilva’s poem titled Melancholy.
  • 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 5 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