The front of the banknote, designed vertically, refers to the guanaco as a representative animal of the Patagonian Steppe.
- From October 4 it will be progressively distributed throughout the country.
- The front of the banknote, designed vertically, refers to the guanaco as a representative animal of the Patagonian Steppe.
Image of the $20 bill
The Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BCRA) puts into circulation the $20 peso banknote with the image of the guanaco, which will coexist with the current banknote of the same value in circulation with the image of Juan Manuel de Rosas. This banknote is the third of the new family “Native Animals of Argentina”, which seeks to raise awareness about the preservation of the environment and has greater security measures, introducing a vertical design on its obverse. The first was the 500-peso bill with the image of the jaguar, launched in June 2016, and the second was the 200-peso bill with the southern right whale, in October of the same year. On the 20-peso bill, whose paper is 95 g/m2 cotton, red predominates. It maintains the same size as the Peso Line and will be distributed progressively from tomorrow through the network of bank branches and ATMs throughout the country.
The new banknote has strict security measures. Among others, the watermark, which reproduces the portrait of the guanaco and the denomination “20” in a very light tone, the intaglio print, which presents a perceptible relief to the touch, and the security thread, a band incorporated into the paper that contains the legend “$20” followed by “BCRA”, repeatedly and alternately, stand out.
The obverse of the banknote, designed in vertical format, reproduces the portrait of the guanaco with ornamental flowers, and on the reverse, in horizontal format, the artistic recreation of its characteristic habitat. In addition, in the lower left corner there is a representation of the guanaco as a reference dedicated to children.
The guanaco is a camelid exclusive to South America and in Patagonia it is found in all provinces: Tierra del Fuego, Santa Cruz, Chubut, Río Negro and Neuquén. Also in part of La Pampa and south of Buenos Aires. It adapts to different climates, although currently the region where it expands the most is in the Patagonian Steppe. About 90% of the world’s population lives in Argentina, with about 550 thousand specimens.
The new 20-peso banknote was presented today at a ceremony held at the Provincial School No. 27, Kar-Yen in the city of Río Grande, province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands. It was attended by the Deputy General Manager of Means of Payment of the BCRA, Julio Pando, the Director of Environmental Education of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Nation, Javier Goldschtein, the Director of the institution, Mariana Unrein, and more than 500 students from primary schools in the area.
The impact of the new banknotes
Currently, the smaller denomination banknotes (50, 20, 10, 5 and 2 pesos), with 1,831 million units, represent 28% of the number of banknotes in circulation, while those of 100 pesos reach 63% (4,078 million) and those of 500 and 200 pesos, 9% (555 million). Taking into account the value of the banknotes, before the appearance of the new 500 and 200 peso bills (June and October 2016), the 100 peso bills came to represent 93% of the money in circulation; currently, they represent 60%.
Thanks to the introduction of the new family of banknotes, supplying the demand for high-denomination currency will cost the BCRA 734 million pesos in 2017. If it had done so only with the 100-peso bills, the total cost would have been 1,948 million pesos. Therefore, the new denominations will allow the BCRA to save 1,214 million pesos this year. In 2016, the 500-peso banknote was selected from more than 120 banknotes from around the world and won second place in the Banknote of the Year Award, awarded by the International Banknote Society (IBNS) among more than 120 banknotes from around the world.
It also won the Latinum award for the Best Banknote in Circulation at the 7th. International Numismatic Convention 2016, within the framework of the contest organized by the Buenos Aires Numismatic Center. Currently, the 200-peso one with the southern right whale is a finalist in the same category. These awards are intended to reward the quality of design, technological innovation or other outstanding characteristics revealed in coins and banknotes issued throughout Latin America.
A meeting point
The new series highlights the enormous richness and diversity of our country. It is composed of six banknotes with the image of the hornero, the jaguar, the southern right whale, the taruca, the condor and the guanaco. The obverse of each banknote refers to the figure of an animal typical of each region, while the reverse emphasizes the characteristic habitat of that species. The new banknotes remind us that protecting our nature is an unwavering collective task.
It is the intention of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic that the national currency be a meeting point for Argentines and contribute to the union of citizens in the task of honoring our country, our fauna and strengthening everyone’s commitment to the environment, to joy and to life.
In addition, along with the improvement in the security and quality of circulating cash, the BCRA is intensively promoting the development of new means of digital payments, which reduce costs, increase transaction security and promote greater financial inclusion.
