New Tk 500 banknote to be released Thursday, what’s in new design

Bangladesh Bank released a newly designed Tk 500 banknote into the market today (Thursday), marking a significant change in the currency’s appearance. The central bank issued the new note, which is part of the “Historical and Archaeological Architecture of Bangladesh” series, from its Motijheel office, with subsequent release across other branches.

The most notable change is the design shift: the new Tk 500 note replaces the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with images of national landmarks.

Key Design Features
The predominantly green note bears the signature of Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur. Its dimensions measure 152 mm in length and 65 mm in width.

Front Face: Features the Central Shaheed Minar on the left, with the national flower Shapla (Water Lily) visible in the middle background.

Back Face: Displays the Bangladesh Supreme Court building.

Watermarks: The note carries the face of the Royal Bengal Tiger as a watermark, accompanied by the electrotype mark ‘500’ and the Bangladesh Bank monogram.

Enhanced Security Measures
Bangladesh Bank implemented a total of 10 advanced security features in the new note to combat counterfeiting:

Colour-Shifting Ink: The value ‘500’ printed on the top right corner changes colour from green to blue when the user moves the note.

Security Thread: A woven security thread features bright golden and red bars. Tilted against the light, the red part shifts to green, revealing the engraved text ‘500 taka’.

Tactile Feature: Five small, raised circles are located on the bottom right side of the front face, providing an uneven texture for the visually impaired.

This new Tk 500 denomination follows the release of similarly redesigned Tk 20, Tk 50, Tk 100, and Tk 1000 notes in the same series. The central bank confirmed that all currently circulating older notes remain valid tender.