The Bank of England is advancing its plans for the next generation of UK banknotes, designated Series H, with a confirmed focus on 'nature' and 'wildlife'. This decision was approved by the Governor following recommendations from the Banknote Imagery Advisory Group (BIAG), as detailed in minutes from their meeting on 15 December 2025.
A key step in the process will be the formation of an Expert Panel, consisting of approximately six individuals, tasked with nominating examples of UK wildlife. These nominations will then contribute to a shortlist, which will be presented for a public consultation in 2026. The Bank aims to announce the chosen theme and sub-theme to the public in March 2026, ahead of the consultation.
The BIAG meeting outlined the process for engaging these external experts. The panel members will not receive remuneration for their involvement, though reasonable expenses such as travel costs will be covered. Their primary role will be to consider a detailed brief and the Bank's guidance for selecting wildlife, before reviewing individual nominations and agreeing on a final shortlist to recommend to BIAG.
A significant objective for the Series H banknote design is to enhance the resilience of the currency. This includes ensuring clear distinction between denominations and enabling highly intuitive security features. Discussions among BIAG members explored how depicting four easily distinguishable animals, potentially with different logical movements across the four denominations, could contribute to this goal.
The criteria for selecting experts for the panel emphasise deep knowledge in wildlife, an absence of controversy, and a collective representation of UK society, encompassing diverse backgrounds, geographical locations, and life experiences. At this stage, the Bank has decided not to narrow down wildlife to specific categories, allowing the experts to provide broad input before any potential categorisation is considered for the second public consultation's survey design.
The Bank's Public Sector Equality Duty remains a crucial consideration throughout the imagery selection process, influencing decisions at every stage to ensure inclusive and accessible banknote design. The Governor is expected to formally invite the selected experts in early 2026 to commence their work on the shortlist.
Source: Bank of England