Sama launches polymer version of five-riyal banknote

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority launched a new polymer five-riyal banknote on October 5.

The new note – the country’s first to be printed on polymer – retains the visual design of the existing cotton-based note, but incorporates some new security features, Sama said in a statement. The polymer notes will circulate alongside the existing cotton notes.

Additional security features include a window and ink that changes colour when the note is tilted. The reverse side of the note also includes “iridescent” ink.

Some security features from the cotton note remain, including tactile stripes and raised text for the visually impaired, a metallic thread, fluorescent patterns that appear under UV light, and micro-text.

The design of the note incorporates a portrait of the Saudi king, Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, in front of a picture of the Shaybah oil field. The reverse side of the note contains a picture of wildflowers.

“The new five-riyal denomination was printed according to the latest standards in the field of polymer currency printing,” Sama said.