Bangladesh drops Sheikh Mujib’s portrait from currency notes

DHAKA: Bangladesh has started issuing newly designed banknotes that do not feature the portrait of the country’s founder and former prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Ahead of June 1, 2025, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Bangladesh has issued a new series of banknotes that, for the first time in decades, do not feature the portrait of the country’s founder and former president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The newly designed notes were issued on Sunday to ditch the previous designs of the currency. This was the first major change to the design of the notes since the formation of the caretaker government following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her alleged flight to India.

According to Arif Hossain Khan, a spokesman for Bangladesh’s central bank, the new currency series no longer features the portrait of any human figure. Instead, the notes depict natural landscapes, historical landmarks, temples, palaces and various elements of the country’s cultural heritage.

Of the planned nine denominations, three have been issued so far, with the remaining denominations to be introduced in phases. Existing banknotes and coins will continue to be in circulation. This is not the first time that political developments have influenced the design of Bangladeshi currency. The first notes issued after independence in 1972 featured a map of the country. Later, during the Awami League government, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s image was added to the design.

It should be noted that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was living in exile in India at the time. She was facing legal action in Bangladesh for trying to suppress a rebellion. Despite court orders, she has refused to return, and her political party, the Awami League, was formally banned last month.