Durrant Pate/Contributor

Jamaica’s biggest bank, National Commercial Bank (NCB) is announcing that 43 of over 300 automated banking machines (ABMs) island-wide are now ready to facilitate cash withdrawals of the new polymer banknotes.

NCB’s intelligent ABMs (iABMs) at 12 locations will also be able to accept deposits of the new banknotes. All NCB iABMs islandwide will still accept the old paper banknotes until they are discontinued.

The bank is reporting that it is working to complete the upgrade of its entire fleet of ABMs by September 2023. In the meantime, CEO Septimus Blake wasted no time getting his hands on some of the new banknotes at an NCB iABM during the final round of testing yesterday (June 15).

NCB has promised to provide further updates on its social media pages on the progress being made on having all their ABMs equipped to handle and deal with the new banknotes.

Holness pleased with roll out

Prime Minister Andrew Holness is pleased with the roll out of the new banknotes saying, “I’ve noted that hundreds of Jamaicans have already received and exchanged the new notes and today (yesterday) Minister (Nigel) Clarke presented me with each of the new notes. One of the most remarkable features of these new bank notes is the inclusion of raised dots, a tactile feature created to assist the visually impaired.”

He adds that, “this unique design element will enhance the sense of touch, enabling our visually impaired citizens to distinguish between different denominations. In addition to the raised dots feature, these new bank notes possess several other security features that enhance their durability and resilience against counterfeiting.”

In concluding, the prime minister commented that these advancements will instill greater confidence in the Jamaican currency and further bolster the domestic financial system.