It will be issued for the first time on 20 February 2020

Bank of England’s new ￡20 note unveiled. Source: bankofengland.co.uk

Today, Governor Mark Carney unveiled the design of the new ￡20 note featuring the artist JMW Turner. It will be issued for the first time on 20 February 2020.

The polymer ￡20 note contains sophisticated security features making it the most secure Bank of England banknote yet. For the first time, the note incorporates two windows and a two-color foil, making it very difficult to counterfeit.

Polymer notes last longer than paper notes and they stay in better condition during day-to-day use. This note, like the polymer ￡10, will contain a tactile feature to help vision-impaired people identify the denomination.

The polymer ￡20 note will join the Churchill ￡5 and the Austen ￡10. A new ￡50 note, featuring Alan Turing, will follow in 2021. The public will begin to see the new ￡20 from 20 February next year as the notes leave cash centers around the country and enter general circulation. The public can continue to spend paper ￡20 notes as usual and these will be gradually withdrawn as they are banked by retailers and the public. Notice will be given six months ahead of legal tender status of the paper ￡20 being withdrawn.

The new ￡20 note will be the first to feature the signature of Sarah John, the Bank’s Chief Cashier.

SEE ALSO:?Which countries use polymer banknotes