Pound sterling

Currency of the United Kingdom

Follow Pound sterling on Notably News to receive short updates to your email — rarely!

We include updates on United States dollar, Black Wednesday, New Zealand dollar, Eastern Caribbean dollar, Decimal Day, List of British banknotes and coins, Bank of England note issues, Bermudian dollar, Banknotes of Northern Ireland, Pine tree shilling, Cayman Islands dollar, List of British currencies, Ionian obol, Banknotes of the British Armed Forces, Currency and Bank Notes Act 1928, Harry Eccleston ... and more.

2025
Gibraltar pound
The Gibraltar National Mint issued the first 12-sided £1 coin, which reportedly generated high demand among coin collectors.
2025
United States dollar
Netherlands Antillean guilder to be replaced by Caribbean guilder
2024
United States dollar
Latest recorded exchange rate data showing significant fluctuations, with the U.S. dollar exchanging at 92.6567 Russian rubles, 7.1957 Chinese renminbi, and 278.390 Pakistani rupees.
June 5 2024
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Bank of England to introduce Series G II banknotes featuring King Charles III, including £5, £10, £20, and £50 denominations
June 5 2024
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Banknotes with King Charles III's portrait officially entered circulation.
2023
Cayman Islands dollar
CIMA issued a special 70 dollar note to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Elizabeth II and her Platinum Jubilee.
2023 Buying power of a pound has fallen by 94.4% since 1971, indicating substantial long-term economic inflation.
September 29 2023
Banknotes of Northern Ireland
Paper £50 and £100 notes issued by the Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank were replaced with polymer banknotes, similar to Scottish bank note issuers.
February 2023
Cayman Islands dollar
The Monetary Authority began seeking public input for new coin and banknote designs featuring King Charles III.
2022
Ulster Bank £50 note
Ulster Bank released a new polymer £50 banknote featuring a design that celebrates Northern Irish industry, including a Pine marten, gorse flowers, a loom worker, and a scientist.
2022 The hypothetical 1971 £10 shopping basket would cost £163.40, demonstrating significant inflation over five decades.
2022 Sterling became the fourth most-held reserve currency in global reserves.
2022 Sterling was the fourth-most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen.
December 20 2022
Banknotes of the pound sterling
The Bank of England released images of new banknotes featuring King Charles III's portrait and personal cypher.
September 2022
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Following Queen Elizabeth II's death, speculation began about replacing her portrait on banknotes.
September 2022
New Zealand dollar
Following Queen Elizabeth II's death, the Reserve Bank announced it would use existing $20 note stocks before introducing new notes featuring King Charles III.
September 2022
New Zealand dollar
After Queen Elizabeth II's death, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced plans to exhaust existing coin stocks before introducing new coins featuring King Charles III.
September 2022 Sterling reached an all-time low of just over $1.03, influenced by inflation and tax cuts funded by borrowing.
September 30 2022
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Series F banknotes were withdrawn from circulation, becoming exchangeable only for Series G banknotes.
June 30 2022
Banknotes of Northern Ireland
First Trust Bank's banknotes officially ceased to be legal currency, marking the end of their independent note-issuing status.
2021
Gibraltar pound
Gibraltar introduced a new series of banknotes in a reduced size, closely matching the Bank of England's format. The first note, the £5, was issued into circulation.
2021
Banknotes of Northern Ireland
First Trust Bank concludes its banknote issuance in Northern Ireland.
2021 Polymer £50 banknote was introduced.
2021 A significant and sustained increase in inflation was observed across multiple indices: Retail Price Index (RPI) reached 7.1%, Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached 5.1%, and Consumer Price Index including Owner Occupiers' Housing Costs (CPIH) reached 4.6%.
June 23 2021
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Bank of England released the £50 polymer banknote honoring mathematician Alan Turing, featuring his 1951 photographic portrait, Turing machine formulae, technical Bombe drawings, and a quote from his 1949 Times interview.
May 3 2021
Banknotes of Northern Ireland
The business transfer of Ulster Bank Limited to National Westminster Bank PLC was completed.
2020
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Planned introduction of a new £20 note featuring Catherine Cranston on the obverse.
2020
Banknotes of Northern Ireland
Ulster Bank continued the rollout of its new polymer banknote series, completing the replacement of all paper notes in circulation.
June 30 2020
Banknotes of the pound sterling
First Trust Bank ceased issuing its own banknotes, ending its independent note issuance in Northern Ireland.
June 30 2020
Eastern Caribbean dollar
Final date of legal tender status for 1 and 2 cent coins.
June 30 2020
Banknotes of Northern Ireland
The right to issue banknotes was transferred from Ulster Bank Limited to National Westminster Bank PLC.
February 20 2020
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Bank of England launched the £20 polymer banknote with a self-portrait of J. M. W. Turner from c.1799, including The Fighting Temeraire painting, Turner's quote about light and colour, and his signature.
February 20 2020 Polymer £20 banknote was introduced.
January 31 2020 Following the UK's withdrawal from the EU, the Bank of England ended its membership in the European System of Central Banks, with shares in the European Central Bank reallocated to other EU banks.
2019
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Bank of Ireland released new polymer banknotes with designs matching their paper counterparts, sized to match Bank of England equivalent notes.
2019
Pound sterling in the South Atlantic and the Antarctic
Previously accepted Falkland Islands coins were no longer circulated on St. Helena and Ascension, marking a change in the territories' currency acceptance policy.
2019
Eastern Caribbean dollar
The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank introduced a new family of polymer substrate banknotes in a vertical format, featuring new designs for 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollar denominations.
2019
New Zealand dollar
The New Zealand dollar was ranked as the tenth most traded currency globally, representing 2.1% of daily foreign exchange market turnover.
2019
Banknotes of Northern Ireland
Ulster Bank started releasing a new series of vertical polymer banknotes, replacing their previous paper currency.
August 2019
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Ulster Bank revealed the design of the new twenty-pound note, featuring images of Lough Neagh, the European eel, and the Hawthorn flower, representing Northern Ireland as a 'dwelling place'.
July 2019
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Bank of England announced Alan Turing would feature on the upcoming £50 note.
February 2019
Banknotes of Northern Ireland
First Trust Bank announced the cessation of issuing its own banknotes, planning to replace them with Bank of England banknotes as they are withdrawn from circulation.
February 27 2019
Banknotes of Northern Ireland
Ulster Bank and Bank of Ireland released new polymer £5 and £10 notes. Danske Bank also released new polymer £10 notes.
2018
New Zealand dollar
Commemorative 50c coin issued to mark the centenary of Armistice Day.
June 2018
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Ulster Bank announced the introduction of a new series of polymer banknotes with vertical orientation, themed 'Living in Nature', showcasing Northern Ireland's natural features.
March 1 2018 Paper £10 note was withdrawn.
2017
United States dollar
The American Palladium Eagle bullion coin was first minted.
September 14 2017
Banknotes of the pound sterling
Bank of England introduced the £10 polymer banknote with a portrait of Jane Austen, featuring her c. 1810 portrait by James Andrews, a quote from Pride and Prejudice, and illustrations of Elizabeth Bennet and Godmersham Park.
September 14 2017 Polymer £10 banknote was introduced.
May 5 2017 Paper £5 notes were withdrawn.

We are only showing the most recent entries for this topic.

This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles United States dollar, Banknotes of Northern Ireland, Ulster Bank £50 note, Pound sterling, Pound sterling in the South Atlantic and the Antarctic, Banknotes of the pound sterling, Gibraltar pound, Cayman Islands dollar, Eastern Caribbean dollar & New Zealand dollar, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

See Also