Bangladesh Bank releases new Tk 500 note

Bangladesh Bank released the newly designed Tk 500 note into the market today, Thursday.

The central bank is not distributing the new notes directly to customers, as Bangladesh Bank supplies the currency to the commercial banks and the banks then provide to the public.

Until noon today, Thursday, the Tk 500 note was not seen in the open market. In the afternoon, each new Tk 500 note was seen being priced at Tk 600 in the Motijheel open market. Sellers are not selling the notes for less than this.

The currently circulating Tk 500 note features the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The new note does not include this.

In the design of the new note, there is an image of the Central Shaheed Minar and an image of the Bangladesh Supreme Court.

The new note bears the signature of Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur.

This afternoon, among 10 note sellers in Motijheel, two had received the Tk 500 notes.

They said they had to purchase each note for Tk 580, which is why they are asking Tk 600. However, no customers were seen.

The sellers said that there is some interest in new notes during Eid. At other times, there are no buyers.

However, torn and damaged notes have regular demand. Buying torn notes is their main business. They mend these notes and exchange them at Bangladesh Bank. This is a major part of their income.

The Tk 500 banknote signed by the Bangladesh Bank Governor has a size of 152 mm x 65 mm.

On the left side of the front, there is an image of Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar, and in the middle background, there is an image of the national flower Shapla (water lily) with leaves and buds.

On the back of the note, there is an image of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. As a watermark, there is the face of the Bengal tiger. Below that, there is a bright electrotype watermark of ‘500’ and the ‘Bangladesh Bank monogram.’ The note predominantly features green colour.