New Belizean Banknotes Now in Circulation

Are the new ‘dalla’ bills in your hands yet? Belize’s new currency notes are now officially in circulation. Its release brings an end to months of anticipation and mixed reactions from the public.

While many Belizeans were excited to see the new notes, others were more critical, taking to social media to share their thoughts on the new design of the twos, fives, tens, twenties, fifties, and especially the new blue hundred-dollar bills.

“Base on the design when first revealed, I felt like we were gonna get the Pesos Quality….Nope Nope the quality is the exact same as first and I am truly happy for that,” a Belizean stated on social media.

“They are just making our currency more DURABLE, it’s a better material so if e get wash in the washing machine by mistake unu no have to heng it on the line fi long & wait mek e dry before unu go buy,” another online user added.

At the end of the day, “It’s still Belizean dollars, still buying rice and beans, and still paying rent (unfortunately),” another Belizean said.

Delroy Rhaburn, Assistant Manager of the Central Bank, explained that the campaign over the last month has been intense, trying to educate the public about the rollout of the new currency money.

“The currency is made of cotton substrates, so it’s the exact same material as the currency we have right now. I know there was a lot of speculation, where people felt like the notes would have been something more like the Mexican currency, which is polymer, a plastic-based material. Ours is still cotton, so it’s the same feel, the same size, and the same color scheme as the notes we have right now,” Rhaburn said.

He added, “This is not the first time that the Belize currency design is changing; it’s the first time in a long time. The last time we did a complete redesign was in 1990; it was a complete family of notes. The queen has been on our currency since she started reigning… Before that we had her father, who was the king, and before him we had the previous monarch… Whoever is appearing in the image does not impact the value at all.”