OREANDA-NEWS. On 26 August 2016, the National Bank of Ukraine presented the 20 hryvnia commemorative banknote celebrating the 160th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Franko, a prominent Ukrainian writer.

A press briefing on the presentation of new commemorative banknotes  was conducted by NBU Deputy Governor Mr Yakiv Smolii, Director of the NBU Cash Circulation Department Mr Viktor Zaivenko, Head of the Office for Banknotes and Securities Production and Protection of the NBU Cash Circulation Department Mr. Volodymyr Tyshchenko, Acting Director General of the NBU Banknote Printing and Minting Works Mr. Volodymyr Baglai, Director of the Paper Mill of the NBU Banknote Printing and Minting Works Mr Vasyl Ishchenko and Head of the NBU Information and Public Communications Office Ms Nataliia Bondarenko.

At the press briefing, Mr Smolii said that the NBU seized the opportunity to mark the 160th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Franko, an  outstanding Ukrainian writer, a scientist and a public figure by issuing a commemorative banknote, which is a special type of banknotes  issued to commemorate landmark historical and cultural events.

“The NBU launched its own numismatic program in 1995.  Our coins reflect the history and traditions of the Ukrainian people, nature, achievements, cities, architectural monuments and outstanding personalities of Ukraine.  In 2006,  the NBU put into circulation commemorative coins “Ivan Franko”, which were made from silver and? German silver, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the  birth  of Ivan Franko  ,” said Mr Smolii. “Today, we present  the result of our year-long work that displays our innovative and technological capabilities - the 20 hryvnia commemorative banknote”.

According to Mr Smolii, commemorative banknotes enjoy popularity around the world. For instance, commemorative coins are issued by Poland, the Republic of Belarus, Kazakhstan and many other countries.

Mr Smolii  recalled that in 2011, the NBU issued a 50 hryvnia commemorative banknote with a total issuance volume of 1,000 pieces to commemorate  20th anniversary  since the establishment of the National Bank of Ukraine.

The NBU Deputy Governor said that commemorative banknotes celebrating  the 160th Anniversary of the Birth of Ivan Franko:

-          will be put into circulation on 1 September 2016;

-          the total issuance volume amounts to 1 million pieces;

-          banknotes are denoted by a prefix consisting of two letters “ЦБ”;

-          banknote paper on which  commemorative banknotes are printed is manufactured from a - -   combination of both cotton and linen fibers, enables the reduction of production costs and gives the paper its strength and durability