Public asked to help select UK wildlife to appear on new banknote series
Executive Summary
The Bank of England is consulting the public from **3 June 2026 to 3 July 2026** on which native UK animals should appear as the central image on the next series of banknotes, with one animal selected for each of the £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes. The consultation is operationally important because it confirms the design theme, constrains the universe of eligible imagery to the published shortlist, and signals that the final decision will be made by the Governor after considering public feedback rather than by simple popularity alone.
What Changed
- - The Bank has opened a consultation on selecting four distinct native wildlife images for the central design of the next series of banknotes, one for each denomination from £5 to £50.
- The eligible imagery is limited to a published shortlist; the Bank is not seeking alternative nominations and will only consider animals on that list.
- The shortlist spans mammals, birds, and amphibians/insects/fish, reflecting the Bank’s intent to represent different UK environments across the banknote set.
- The Bank will select up to two examples from each category in the consultation, but the final selection may not match the highest-voted options.
- The Bank will retain a portrait of the monarch on the next series, alongside additional wildlife and nature elements.
- The design process is explicitly tied to counterfeit resilience, accessibility, and updated anti-counterfeiting technology.
Suggested Considerations
- Review internal cash and branch readiness plans to account for a future change to the visual appearance of UK banknotes.
- Monitor the Bank of England’s consultation outcomes so denomination-specific handling, ATM, sorting, and authentication procedures can be updated in time.
- Update customer communications and frontline scripts to reflect that the next series will feature wildlife imagery, while retaining the monarch’s portrait.
- Validate that note-recognition, counterfeit-detection, and cash-acceptance systems can accommodate new denomination designs once specifications are released.
- Track the Bank’s second consultation in summer 2026 if your organisation relies on cash logistics, cash processing, or public education materials.
- Ensure operational teams are prepared for a multi-year transition period in which current and new series notes may circulate together.
Key Dates
Compliance Impact
Non-compliance risk is currently low to medium because this is a design consultation rather than a binding rule change, but the eventual issuance of a new banknote series will affect cash acceptance, operational controls, and counterfeit-prevention procedures. Institutions that fail to prepare for the transition could face operational disruption, customer confusion, and avoidable cash-handling err
Who is Affected
AI-generated analysis. May contain errors or omissions — verify with the original BoE source before acting. Full disclaimer.
Summary
The public are being asked to give their views on a selection of wildlife, native to the UK, that will appear on the next series of banknotes in a consultation launched today.