Just days before the Mid-Year Budget Review, a quiet but significant move by the Government has hit pause on the printing of new hundred-dollar bills bearing the updated Coat of Arms.
The Central Bank.. says it's following a request from the new Finance Minister.., leaving questions hanging over the future of the redesigned notes.. that swapped Columbus' ships for the national steelpan.
00:00Just days before the media review of the budget in the Parliament is set to begin on Wednesday, June 18th,
00:06the Central Bank announced that following a request by the Minister of Finance to suspend printing of any new notes with the revised Court of Arms
00:14until further notice, the Central Bank instructed the contracted bank note printer to cease any work related to the printing, preparation and designing of the 2025 Series $100 denomination.
00:28The revised Court of Arms occurred via the National Emblems of Trinidad and Tobago Regulation Amendment Act 2025,
00:36which was approved by both Houses of Parliament in January and was proclaimed by the President on February 25th of this year.
00:44The amendment saw the replacement of the images of the three Columbus ships with an image of the national instrument, the steel pan, on the Court of Arms.
00:53On February 16th, the Central Bank announced that the adjusted coat of arms, the replacement of the ships with the steel pan,
01:01has been integrated into the design at no additional cost.
01:05The Central Bank also said that at that time, the 2025 Series was then scheduled for distribution in September of this year.
01:14This was done during the former PNM-led government, which lost the general election on April 28th of this year to the UNC and its coalition of interests.
01:23TV6 News sought a comment from Opposition MP Stuart Young, who served in and briefly led the Cabinet during the former PNM administration.
01:32MP Young said, quote,
01:33TV6 News also sent a question to Finance Minister Devendra Nath Tanku to find out if the government will provide an explanation
01:55for the suspension of the printing of any new notes with the revised coat of arms during the Parliament's debate of the mid-year review of the budget.
02:03Finance Minister Tanku told the TV6 News, quote,
02:07I will advise the nation in due course, end quote.
02:10The National Emblems of Trinidad and Tobago Regulation Amendment Act 2025 states that, subject to provisions of the Act,
02:18the former coat of arms may be used until the 1st of January 2026, or such later date as the minister may, by order, prescribe.
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