Bank Of England

09/04/2021

Bank of England to Launch new £50 note

Key information and timescales about the new £50 note:

What’s happened?

Bank of England has unveiled the design of the new polymer £50 note featuring the scientist Alan Turing.

When does this new £50 enter circulation?

What more can you tell me about the new £50 note?

It’s polymer, just like the £5, £10 and £20 notes.
It contains sophisticated security features and completes our most secure series of Bank of England notes yet.
It incorporates two see-through windows and a two-colour foil, making it very difficult to counterfeit.
There’s a metallic hologram which changes between the word ‘Fifty’ and ‘Pounds’ when the note is tilted.
These security features are common across all our polymer banknotes, so if you can check one, you can check them all.

What do I need to do in advance of the new £50 coming out?

In preparation for the new £50 being issued on 23 June 2021, cash-handling businesses should take the following simple steps:

Speak to your suppliers to check that your banknote machines (e.g.: self-service checkouts, point-of-sale banknote authenticators, back office banknote authenticators/note counters) are updated and are ready for the new £50.
Make sure that all your staff who handle cash are aware and know what to expect on 23 June 2021. Go to www.new50.co.uk for free training and educational materials.

What do I do about the paper £50 note?

Even after the new polymer £50 note has been issued on 23 June 2021, you should continue to accept the paper £50 note. The public can still use paper £50 notes as usual and these will be gradually withdrawn as they get deposited into banks by retailers and the public. We’ll give six months’ notice ahead of legal tender status of the paper £50 being withdrawn.

What about the paper £20 note?

You can also continue to use paper £20 notes as usual. We haven’t yet said when the legal tender status of the paper £20 note will be withdrawn. Again, we will give at least six months’ notice ahead of this.

Any questions