Issuance of $20 polymer bank notes - UNI Financial Cooperation
Slider Image

Issuance of $20 polymer bank notes

On November 7, 2012, the Bank of Canada will issue new $20 polymer bank notes. The $100 and $50 bank notes have already been in circulation for a few months.

The old $20 bank notes will not be removed from circulation as soon as the new ones are issued. As $20 bank notes account for about half of the bank notes in circulation, totalling over 800 million, the Bank of Canada planned a temporary transition period lasting several months. It should be noted that old $20 bank notes will keep their face value.

For commercial clients

Equipment compatibility

You must make sure that your equipment accepts both types of bank notes during the transition period. If your business uses equipment such as machines that count cash, ATMs, self-service caisses or cash dispensers, it is strongly recommended that you contact your equipment suppliers or manufacturers.

Material and resources to help you make the transition

An information and training package for retailers is available free of charge in all caisses. Feel free to request one.

Secure and durable bank notes

Polymer bank notes have many benefits:

  • They are secure: their leading-edge security features are easy to verify and hard to counterfeit.
  • They are durable: polymer bank notes will remain circulation at least 2.5 times longer than paper bank notes before they become too used and need to be replaced. Fewer bills will be printed in the coming years.
  • They are innovative: a one-of-a-kind currency, they are among the most secure bank notes in the world.

Moreover, it has been proven that they can withstand extreme conditions and that there are no visible changes between -75º and 140º Celsius. However, they can hold more static electricity than paper bank notes. Therefore, new polymer bank notes must be handled with greater care.

 

Learn more

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Communication Team
295 Saint-Pierre Blvd. West
P.O. Box 5554
Caraquet NB E1W 1B7

E-mail: communication@uni.ca