Paper Money Market: Is America Ready for a New Look?
A new generation of U.S. banknotes debuts in 2026 with advanced security features. But are banks and machines ready to handle the redesigned currency?
A new generation of American bank notes is in preparation to be introduced next year. The question remains if, technologically, the United States is ready for it. The redesigned notes will feature new security features designed to challenge counterfeiters, increase public confidence in the currency, and ensure that machines can read the new notes accurately.
The plan is to introduce the $10 denomination first. The $50 note will be introduced in 2028, the $20 note in 2030, the $5 note in 2032, and the $100 note in 2034. The reason for issuing the new notes in this order has not been explained. No mention of new $1 and $2 notes had been made at the time this commentary was being written.
The big question yet to be addressed is whether financial institutions are prepared to authenticate these “improved” notes. According to the June 2, 2025, issue of Bank Automation News, “Financial institutions are still operating on legacy systems not equipped to process or authenticate the new generation of currency. These outdated devices—whether in the form of ATMs, TCRs, or currency counters and sorters—pose a serious risk of rejecting genuine bank notes or, worse, failing to detect counterfeits.”
The number of banks that recognize this potential problem isn’t known, but the German security printing company Giesecke+Devrient is willing to throw them a lifeline by helping them prepare for a fee. From a collector’s perspective, we want to see just how different this new generation of notes will be. Is a vignette of Harriet Tubman part of this plan? Unless we are in for a surprise, it does not appear she’s in the running.
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