Bank of Scotland releases new polymer £20 notes

Eagle-eyed shoppers will start to see the new £20 Bank of Scotland polymer note as it officially enters circulation.

Bank of Scotland releases new polymer £20 notes

On the reverse of the note is a new image of the Forth Bridges is instantly recognisable with the iconic Queensferry Crossing visible in the background.

Furthermore, in celebration of the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world, the Queensferry Crossing is celebrated in its own right in a limited number of special commemorative £20 notes.



Designed by De La Rue, the commemorative notes will be marked with ‘QF & QC’, representing the Queensferry Crossing exclusive to this design. These are available from Bank of Scotland branches but interested collectors should hurry as demand is expected to be high.

The front of the polymer note will continue to feature the portrait of the Scottish novelist and poet, Sir Walter Scott, alongside the image of The Mound in Edinburgh.

Bank of Scotland releases new polymer £20 notes

Like the £10 polymer note, the £20 note will also introduce the tactile emboss feature to aid the visually impaired.

One of the key security features of Bank of Scotland’s polymer notes is the anti-counterfeit ‘window effect’ which can be found in the windows of The Mound. The £20 polymer note features a holographic depth stripe, the top of the foil features a Northern Lights effect when tilted, additionally the clouds adjacent to Victory will move left to right when tilted east to west.

Measuring 139 x 73 mm compared to the current 149 x 80mm, the notes are slightly smaller than the existing paper £20 notes in circulation. This new size is consistent with the new £20 notes that have been issued by the Bank of England and other UK banks this year.

All existing paper Bank of Scotland £20 notes will be gradually withdrawn following the issue of the new note, but any currently in circulation will continue to be accepted at shops, banks and cash payment machines.

Bank of Scotland releases new polymer £20 notes

Phillip Grant, group ambassador for Scotland and Frances Simpson from Mental Health UK

Tara Foley, managing director, Bank of Scotland, said: “It is important to us that any new bank note we produce proudly represents the values and history of Scotland, and our new Bank of Scotland polymer £20 note is the result of months of careful work. We encourage people to keep an eye out for the new design and take a moment to spot some of the new features.”

Earlier this month, Bank of Scotland auctioned a total of 50 special commemorative notes containing the most sought after serial numbers with the AA prefix. Thanks to the generous public for their bids, a fantastic £112,590 has been raised for the bank’s charity of the year, Mental Health UK.

Brian Dow, chief executive of Mental Health UK, added: “At Mental Health UK we know there is a growing need for support for young people. That’s why, with funding from Bank of Scotland and the rest of Lloyds Banking Group, we created Bloom – the largest UK-wide programme for 14-18-year-olds - which focuses on supporting young people’s mental health resilience.

“With this support we can expand our reach to over half a million young people, equipping them with the tools and knowledge needed to support their mental health now and in the future.”

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