Bangladesh on Sunday introduced new banknotes, replacing designs that featured the portrait of its founding president, the father of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was overthrown last year. A caretaker government has been managing the South Asian nation of 170 million people since Hasina fled, and her trial commenced on Sunday on charges of attempting to suppress an uprising against her government in August 2024.
Until now, all Bangladeshi banknotes prominently displayed the portrait of her father, the late Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh from its independence from Pakistan in 1971 until his assassination, along with most of his family, in a 1975 coup. “Under the new series and design, the notes will not feature any human portraits, but will instead showcase natural landscapes and traditional landmarks,” Bangladesh Bank spokesman Arif Hossain Khan told AFP.
Among the designs featured in the Muslim-majority nation are images of Hindu and Buddhist temples and historical palaces. They also include artwork by the late painter Zainul Abedin, depicting the Bengal famine that occurred during British colonial rule. Another note will depict the national martyrs’ memorial. On Sunday, notes for three of the nine different denominations were released. “The new notes will be issued from the central bank’s headquarters, and later from its other offices across the country,” Khan added. “The other denominations of the notes with new designs will be released in phases.” Existing notes and coins will continue to circulate alongside the new notes.
This is not the first instance of design changes reflecting evolving political landscapes in Bangladesh. Initial notes issued in 1972 — after Bangladesh changed its name from East Pakistan — featured a map. Subsequent notes featured Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the Awami League, the same party that Hasina also led during her 15 years in power. When other parties were in charge — predominantly the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) — historical and archaeological sites were highlighted on the currency. The Awami League was banned last month pending the trial of Hasina and other party leaders. Hasina, 77, is currently in self-imposed exile in India and has defied an extradition order to attend her trial.
