After the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, Curacao and Sint Maarten became autonomous and decided to replace the colonial era Netherlands-Antillean Guilder with their own currency, the Caribbean Guilder. This new currency will bring forth a monetary union between the two countries and both will share a central bank. The Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten announced that the new Caribbean Guilder banknotes will begin to circulate on March 31, 2025. It will be pegged at $1 US Dollar to 1.79 Caribbean Guilder. In addition, the Netherlands Antillean Guilder and the Caribbean Guilder will be exchangeable at a 1:1 ratio.
Before we show off the latest Caribbean Guilder banknotes, let’s look at some examples of the outgoing Netherlands Antillean Guilder. One early example is the Netherlands Antilles 1-5 Gulden 3 PCS Set, 1970-1984. The denominations included in the set are 1 gulden, 2.5 guldens, and 5 guldens. The 1 and 5 gulden notes feature scenes from Curacao. Meanwhile, the 2.5 gulden note features an airplane. The reverse sides of these notes feature the national coat of arms.
A more modern example is the Netherlands Antilles 10 Gulden, 2012. It is green in color. The obverse side shows a Kolibrie (hummingbird) bird. The reverse side features a bank logo. This banknote has no security thread and contains a watermark with a bank logo design. Also a larger denomination banknote from the current series would be the Netherlands Antilles 100 Gulden, 2013. It’s colored in brown and the obverse side shows a Suikerdiefje (bananaquit) bird and a gold foil patch. Its reverse side shows the bank logo and colorful planchettes. Though the note does not have a security thread, it has Omron rings and a watermark of the bank logo.
The New Caribbean Guilder Banknotes
On August 22, 2024 the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten held an official event where the designs of the new banknotes were released. The design is inspired by the “World Under the Sea”. The denominations are 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 Cg. The front of the banknotes show vibrant marine life native to Curacao and Sint Maarten, while the reverse shows historical and cultural landmarks in both countries. The banknotes feature a vertical front while the reverse side is in a vertical format.
The yellow 10 Cg features a Gray Angelfish on the front and the Lighthouse on Klein Curaçao on the back. While The 20 blue Cg features the Spotted Eagle Ray on the front and Simpson Bay on the back. Also the green 50 Cg features the Green Sea Turtle on the front and Grote Knip Beach on the back. In addition, the red 100 Cg features the Stoplight Parrotfish on the front and the Courthouse on the back. Finally, the purple 200 Cg features the Longsnout Seahorse on the front and the Queen Emma Bridge on the back. Are you looking forward to this new banknote release?
Sources:
https://www.centralbank.cw/functions/banknotes-coins/caribbean-guilder
https://www.caribbean-guilder.com/