Asia & the Pacific



The National Bank of Kazakhstan has issued a 20,000 tenge (US$65) banknote for the first time in its history.

Kazakhstan introduces new bank note.

Kazakhstan introduces new bank note. Image by Alex J. Butler / CC BY 2.0

The note was designed in 2013 and put into circulation on 1 December to coincide with commemorations of the country’s first presidential elections, which were held in 1991. The purple-coloured bill features the monument to Kazakhstan’s independence on one side and the presidential palace on the other. Previously, the largest Kazakh banknote was 10,000 tenge, or around US$33. The tenge has seen a 38 per cent drop in value over the past three months.

Read more: ft.com