The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has started the process of issuing a new series of banknotes by launching a design competition, it announced this week.
The new banknotes will not be issued until the early 2030s at the earliest, said the bank. The new series will be dedicated to the unique topography of Switzerland and will be launched under the theme “Switzerland and its high altitudes”.
The 10-franc note will reflect Switzerland’s lowland plateau, the 20-franc note the Mittelland, the 50-franc note the Jura, the 100-franc note the foothills of the Alps, the 200-franc note the mountains, and the 1,000-franc note the high mountains.
Any designer working in Switzerland may apply to take part in design submission. The competition, for which twelve designers will be selected, will start in February 2025. The draft banknote designs are expected to be presented to the public over autumn next year. The conditions for the design competition can be found in the competition regulations, which are available on the SNB’s website.
The Swiss franc banknote series includes the largest denomination in the world, the 1,000 franc note (US$ 1,150). The largest was once the Singaporean $10,000 note, which was last issued in 2014. There has been pressure on central banks to stop issuing large denomination notes to make life harder for those secretly moving funds around. The 500 Euro note was last issued in 2019.
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