Finance
Switzerland Picks New Bank Note Designs for 2030s
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 4, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 4, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe SNB has selected Lausanne-based Emphase Ltd, led by Fabienne Kilchör and Sébastien Fasel, as the winner of its design competition for the next Swiss banknote series, scheduled for introduction in the early 2030s.
ZURICH, March 4 (Reuters) - The Swiss National Bank on Wednesday unveiled the winning designers for its next bank note series, which includes one of the world's most valuable denominations: the 1,000 Swiss franc note ($1,281.39).
The 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 franc notes due to enter circulation in the 2030s come despite physical money losing ground to other payment methods such as mobile apps.
SNB Vice Chairman Antoine Martin said Switzerland still liked bank notes even though their use was declining.
"The Swiss population continues to want to have access to cash," Martin told a press conference.
The winning design features plants on one side of the yellow, red, green, blue, brown and purple notes, with notable landmarks and Swiss cultural touchstones on the reverse side.
The final notes, which will boast new security features, may differ from the winning entry, the SNB said.
Sebastien Fasel, a partner at Emphase, the winning design firm, said he had dreamed of making a bank note ever since the company was founded 16 years ago. "It was like a distant fantasy, a little out of reach," he said.
($1 = 0.7804 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by John RevillEditing by Dave Graham)
Switzerland selected designs featuring plants on one side and landmarks and cultural elements on the reverse of the notes.
The new Swiss bank notes are due to enter circulation in the 2030s.
The winning designs were created by Emphase, with Sebastien Fasel as a partner at the firm.
The Swiss National Bank stated the final notes may differ from the winning entry and will include new security features.
The Swiss National Bank noted that the population still wants access to cash, even as cash usage declines.
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