As described in last month’s Currency News™, the new Caribbean guilder has now been issued. It’s been a long time coming, but well worth the wait.
The Netherlands (or Dutch) Antilles was a collection of Caribbean islands forming part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands which, along with Curaçao and Sint Maarten, also comprised St Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius. It was dissolved in 2010, with the latter three adopting the US dollar.
Curaçao and Sint Maarten are autonomous countries within the Dutch kingdom (as is the neighbouring Caribbean island of Aruba), but formed a currency union in 2010, the same year the dissolution.
The Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) was formed the same year, replacing the Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles.
The issue of a new currency – the Caribbean gilder – was agreed at the time, but its introduction was postponed for a number of reasons, including the economic situation at the time and, subsequently, the pandemic. The improvement of the public finances, together with stocks of the old banknotes (dating back to the late 1990s) running low, resulted in the Ministry of Finance announcing in 2022 that the new currency would finally go ahead.
But the Caribbean guilder is not just a new series – it’s a new currency. Launching a new currency does not happen often; apart from the euro and South Sudan, few have been created and launched since the 1990s. Therefore the CBCS gave careful thought not only to the design and security features of their new currency, but also on how it would engage and educate the public. The series was first unveiled last year in a so-called ‘Grand Reveal’ (see CN August 2024) and went into circulation at the end of March, backed up by a comprehensive public education campaign.
The notes are mostly in the same denominations as their predecessors – the Cg 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200, with the Cg 20 replacing the former 25 and the Cg 200 replacing the former 250 Netherlands Antillean guilders. . The coins are in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents, and Cg 1 and 5 – the same as before .
Both islands, with a combined population of c. 220,000 people, are known for their marine life and coral reefs, and are popular destination for eco-tourists and scuba divers. Fittingly, therefore, the main theme of the new Caribbean guilder is the ocean, with ‘The World Under the Sea’ as its title, where fish swim freely with no borders (serving as a metaphor for the unity shared between the two countries).
The front of the banknotes, which were designed and printed by Crane Currency, depicts the vibrant marine life native to Curaçao and Sint Maarten, while the reverse showcases significant historical and cultural landmarks of both countries. The fronts are in a vertical orientation and the backs are horizontal. Whilst the security features are common throughout, each of the notes has a distinct colour. They all measure 147 x 66mm.
The yellow-coloured Cg 10 shows the Gray Angelfish and the Queen Conch on the front and the historic lighthouse on the island of Klein Curaçao on the back.
The predominantly blue Cg 20 shows the Spotted Eagle Ray and the Yellow Cowry on the front and the ecologically unique Simpson Bay Lagoon on Sint Maarten on the back.
The green Cg 50 shows the Green Sea Turtle and the Favored Tellin shell on the front and the pristine Playa Kenepa Grandi Beach on Curaçao on the back.
The red Cg 100 shows the Spotlight Parrot Fish and the Common Music Volute on the front and the remarkable Courthouse of Sint Maarten on the back.
The new purple Cg 200 shows the Longsnout Seahorse and the Giant Tun Shell on the front and the iconic Queen Emma Bridge, a pontoon bridge in Curaçao’s capital, Willemstad, on the back.
On the front of each note is a MOTION SURFACE® stripe, the colours matching the denomination and each with an image of XCG (the currency symbol) inside a sun, a shell and water droplets. The back of each has a 3mm wide RAPID® HD Detect micro-optic thread depicting waves; again, the colour matches the denomination.
The currency symbol is represented in the watermark as an electrotype beneath a multi-tonal compass. It also features in the see through feature, with the patterns on the front and back making up XCG when viewed in transmission.
The other main overt feature is SPARK®Flow in the form of shells unique for each denomination, which change from blue- to-green when tilted.
Finally, the visually impaired have been catered for, not only with the distinct individual colours and the large numeral on the front and back, but also with raised intaglio lines along the short edge of the notes, the number of which corresponds to the denomination.
The coins have been produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. There are similar but distinct designs for Curaçao and Sint Maarten, with both sets circulating interchangeably on both islands. The themes of the six denominations also centre on marine life, including turtles, seashells and waves.
The Curaçao versions of the 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents all feature orange blossoms on the front, and Favored Tellin shells, pearls and the denomination numeral on the reverse. The bimetallic Cg 1 coin features the effigy of King Willem Alexander on the front and the island of Curaçao, along with green turtles, on the reverse. The same effigies feature on the trimetallic Cg 5.
The same designs appear on the St Maarten version of the lower denomination coins. The Cg 1 and Cg 5 coins feature the island’s coat of arms on the reverse.
The coins are made from multi-ply nickel plated steel utilising cyanide free bronze plating. Each coin has a unique edge finish to allow easy distinction between denominations for the visually impaired.
This is not just a new series, but a new currency and, as noted, the CBCS has undertaken a comprehensive public engagement programme, supported by a dedicated website (www.caribbean-guilder.com) and an app (‘My CaribbeanGuilder), which highlights the security features of the currency and offers detailed information about the theme. The CBCS has also undertaken training sessions for commercial bank and retail personnel.
The new currency, which is pegged to the US dollar, will co-circulate alongside the Netherlands Antillean guilder until 1 July, after which the latter can be exchanged at commercial banks until 1 April 2026 and until 31 March 2055 at the CBCS.
(Nancy van der Wal of the CBCS will be giving a presentation on the new series and the important role its public education campaign played in its success at the upcoming HSP Latin America conference in Rio de Janeiro, 9-11 June).
