New NIS 20 and 100 Bills Ready to Circulate

The Bank of Israel will begin distributing new bills of denominations of NIS 20 and 100 beginning November 1st, thus completing the replacement and updating of currency with new anti-fraud and anti-counterfeiting features. The new bills will feature images of poets Rachel Blobstein on the NIS 20 bill, and Leah Goldberg on the NIS 100 bill.

According to Bank of Israel CEO Hezi Kalo, “the security features were designed to be recognized and identified by the general public. You do not need to be an expert in banknotes in order to verify them.” Among the clear identifying signs, he said, are a golden-toned serial number, a bright line running through the inside of the bill, and a reflective watermark — all of which require unique paper and ink that would be extremely difficult for non-government entities to obtain. There are other undisclosed security signs as well, the Bank said, so that even if some counterfeit bills get through, counterfeiters will be identified by police and bankers immediately.

With the release of the bills, all the currency in circulation will have been updated, with the new bills themed on Israeli poets and artists. Already in circulation is a NIS 200 bill, with an image of Israeli poet Natan Alterman, and an NIS 50 bill, featuring author and poet Shaul Tchernikovsy.

According to the Bank, 90 percent of the NIS 50 bills now in circulation are of the new version, after the bill was introduced in September 2014, while 60 percent of the NIS 200 bills in circulation are of the updated bill, which has been in circulation since December 2015. Any old NIS 50 and 200 bills in circulation are in the hands of the public, as banks no longer distribute or do business with them, although they still are legal tender, the Bank said.