The official site of Italy's central bank

Eurosystem introduces Europa series €5 banknote

A new €5 banknote, the first one in the Europa series, started to circulate today in Italy and in the other euro area countries.

To mark the occasion, a short event was held in Bratislava, where the Governing Council, chaired by Mario Draghi, was meeting.

The new €5 banknote includes some new and enhanced security features. The watermark and hologram display a portrait of Europa, a figure from Greek mythology - and hence the name of this series of banknotes. An eye-catching "emerald number" changes colour from emerald green to deep blue and displays an effect of the light that moves up and down. All these security features can be found on the front side of the new note and can be readily checked using the "feel, look and tilt" method.

The other banknotes in the series will be introduced in the years ahead, with the €10 as the next denomination.