SVG’s Milton Cato Among Three Vincentians Featured on New EC Banknotes

An image featuring the new Eastern Caribbean banknote designs. Photo credit: Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.

By S.Browne. Updated 10:06 a.m., Friday, July 10, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Three Vincentian-born leaders are among the distinguished Caribbean figures featured on a new family of Eastern Caribbean banknotes unveiled by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).

The redesigned currency, unveiled on Thursday, July 9, 2026, replaces the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II with national heroes and regional icons from across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), reflecting the region’s shared history, heritage and achievements, according to the ECCB.

The Vincentian-born figures honoured are St Vincent and the Grenadines’ first Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Robert Milton Cato, who appears on the EC$5 note; former ECCB Governor Sir K. Dwight Venner, who appears on the EC$50 note; and Saint Lucia’s first Prime Minister, Sir John George Melvin Compton, who was born in St Vincent and the Grenadines and appears on the EC$100 note.

The ECCB said the redesigned series honours the people who have shaped the Eastern Caribbean while maintaining the security, integrity and trust associated with the EC dollar.

The EC$5 banknote pairs Robert Milton Cato with Grenadian Olympic gold medallist Sir Kirani James.

The EC$50 banknote features Sir K. Dwight Venner, who served as Governor of the ECCB from 1989 to 2015, alongside St Kitts and Nevis National Hero Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw.

The EC$100 banknote features Nobel Prize-winning economist Sir William Arthur Lewis alongside Sir John George Melvin Compton.

The EC$20 banknote features Antigua and Barbuda National Hero Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Snr and former Dominica Prime Minister Dame Mary Eugenia Charles.

The EC$10 banknote features Montserrat’s William Henry Bramble and Anguilla National Hero James Ronald Webster.

According to the ECCB, the Monetary Council approved the replacement of the image of Queen Elizabeth II on EC currency during its 105th Meeting on July 21, 2023, and directed the Bank to undertake public consultations.

The ECCB said consultations conducted between July and December 2023 found strong public support for featuring national heroes and nation builders on the redesigned currency.

According to the ECCB, the unveiling took place during the Ceremony to Mark the Change in Chairmanship of the ECCB Monetary Council, where the chairmanship was officially transferred from Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Gaston Browne, to Dominica’s Minister for Finance, Economic Development, Climate Resilience and Social Security, the Honourable Dr Irving McIntyre.

The ECCB said the unveiling also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the EC dollar’s fixed exchange rate to the United States dollar.

Established in October 1983, the ECCB is the monetary authority for Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

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