Who else can’t wait to get their hands on it…

Last year in December 2022, the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) announced the launch of a new Dhs1000 banknote which will celebrate the 51st UAE National Day. No particular date was made of when the banknotes will be in circulation, but the CBUAE has just confirmed that the notes would be in circulation this month in April.

Starting next week, Monday, April 10, 2023 you can now get your hands on the new banknote at banks and exchange houses.

What’s special about the new banknote?

The new banknote will be made of polymer similar to the fairly new Dhs5, Dhs10 and Dhs50 banknotes that are currently in circulation. The new banknote will tell of UAE’s success story and will highlight its global achievements in space and clean energy.

Here’s what it will look like

dhs1000 UAE new bank note

According to Emirates News Agency (WAM), the front side of the new banknote depicts the image of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, next to a model of a space shuttle. It was inspired by the meeting of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan with the pioneers of the American space agency NASA in 1976, to express the ambitions of the founding leader to position the UAE amongst the pioneering explorers of space.

This, as we all know by now, was achieved in the successful Emirates Mars Mission “Hope Probe” journey in 2021. It is embodied in the new note with an image of the Hope Probe at the left of the late Sheikh Zayed image. The dream is also reflected in the image of an astronaut added as a security mark that appears on both sides of the banknote.

dhs1000 UAE new bank note

On the other side, The Central Bank highlights another global achievement for the UAE. It features an image of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant based in Abu Dhabi. According to WAM, ‘The Plant will play a key role in diversifying energy sources in the country, reduce carbon emissions and hence enable the UAE to advance further in meeting its international obligations in this regard.’

The new Dhs1000 banknote will be the fourth issuance of the National Currency Project. It will be made of polymer, which is more durable than the traditional cotton paper banknotes. It is also more sustainable and falls in line with the CBUAE’s adoption of sustainable practices and growth.

What’s special about this banknote, is that the CBUAE has added prominent symbols in Braille to help blind and visually impaired consumers to identify the banknote’s value.

Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the CBUAE, stated, ‘The issuance of the new AED1000 banknote comes under the vision of UAE’s President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to keep up with the comprehensive development our country is witnessing, and represent UAE’s global achievements and successes, as well as highlight its future ambitions in various sectors.’

So, do you need to go exchange the current Dhs1000 banknotes you have?

No, thankfully. According to WAM, the current Dhs1000 banknote will continue to be in circulation, as a banknote whose value is guaranteed by law.

Images: Emirates News Agency (WAM)