Banknote Imagery Advisory Group Minutes – October 2025

Meeting held 14 October 2025

Published on
17 April 2026

Date: 14 October 2025

Time: 11am to 1.30pm | Location: Bank of England, Threadneedle Street, London, EC2R 8AH and MS teams

Minutes

Item 1 – Welcome

The Chair commenced the meeting and emphasised the significance of the decisions to be taken and importance of considering the Bank’s obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty during this process.

Members were reminded of the Bank’s approach to imagery selection for Series H and the aims of the meeting, i.e. to a) decide on a theme, and potentially sub-theme, to recommend to the Governor; and b) decide on the high-level approach to the next stage of the process to select the main image for each denomination.

Decision:
BIAG approved the minutes of the 5 August 2025 meeting.

Item 2 – Public perceptions on shortlisted themes

Members were reminded of the published criteria for theme selection, and presented with the key findings from the July 2025 public consultation on banknote themes for Series H. The theme of ‘Nature’ received the most votes, with ‘Architecture and Landmarks’ close behind. ‘Notable Historic Figures’ was the third most popular theme, with notably fewer nominations than the first two.

Members also considered the findings of the focus groups commissioned by the Bank, which focused on the three most popular themes from the public consultation. The focus groups found that most participants struggled to spontaneously recall the specific historical figures featured on the current series of banknotes. There was a desire from participants for banknote imagery to evolve and better reflect modern Britain by being more inclusive.

‘Nature’ was regarded by focus groups as a unifying theme which resonates across all nations and groups as well as engendering strong emotional connection, with participants taking pride in the UK’s landscapes and wildlife. A minority of participants expressed concern that ‘Nature’ imagery could feel generic, lack distinctiveness or become outdated. The focus groups thought that these risks may be mitigated through image selection and design choices which BIAG members agreed with.

Focus groups recognised ‘Architecture and Landmarks’ as a visually engaging and familiar theme, appreciating its potential to represent the UK through imagery with historical and cultural significance. However, concerns emerged around regional equity and historical baggage, with more participants identifying weaknesses with this theme compared to ‘Nature’.

Item 3 – Choosing a theme to recommend to the Governor

Members were reminded of the published criteria for theme selection, including that the theme must be consistent with the Bank’s legal obligations, such as the public sector equality duty and other relevant laws.

Members discussed how different theme options, including ‘Notable Historical Figures’, ‘Nature’, ‘Architecture & Landmarks’, and a combination of ‘Nature’ and ‘Architecture & Landmarks’, performed against the Bank’s published criteria.

Members were also reminded of the findings from the Bank’s engagement with other stakeholders, including the Banknotes of Colour, Employee Networks, and the Cabinet Office, and considered how the different theme options could showcase the diversity of UK society.

After careful consideration, and assessing the feedback against the published criteria, Members agreed with the staff proposal not to recommend Notable historical figures as the theme for Series H banknotes. This was based on evidence from the consultation and focus groups as well as concerns about the recognisability and usability of security features related to historical figures. In particular, the Banknote Security & Design (BSD) team flagged that selecting iconography for the main security features that are memorable and clearly link to the theme is more challenging for historical figures than some of the other themes.

Members also agreed not to recommend ‘Architecture and Landmarks’ as it was less popular than ‘Nature’ in the public consultation as well as concerns from focus groups about potential regional inequity, links to divisive historical events and elitism. Additionally, the BSD team flagged that although some prominent buildings could offer iconography (e.g. statues, windows etc.) to unite the print and security features, this theme offers less options for universally recognisable security features compared to ‘Nature’.

Members agreed to recommend ‘Nature’ as the theme that should feature on Series H banknotes – it was the most popular theme in the public consultation and among focus group participants. Additionally, ‘Nature’, and Wildlife especially (as a sub-theme), offers a broader scope (compared to the other themes) for universally recognisable images which can intuitively link to the security features. It has also been received well as a theme for currency internationally and from other UK issuers.

Members also considered the potential sub-themes within ‘Nature agreeing that selecting a subtheme would help to recruit experts and offer more clarity for the public to input on the next stage.

Members agreed to recommend Wildlife as the primary sub-theme for Series H. Wildlife was recommended because it resonated strongly with focus groups, was the most popular topic among free-text submissions to the consultation and offered the most scope for universally recognisable images which could function as potential security features.

Members noted that it might be possible to showcase relevant natural landscapes in the background along with Wildlife images to symbolise the UK, including the devolved nations. This could be fed into design considerations.

Members agreed that the sub-theme should be broad and allow for a number of distinctive designs to support identification and authentication of banknotes.

Decision:
BIAG recommends ‘Nature’ to the Governor as the theme for all four denominations of the next series of banknotes.

Decision:
Within ‘Nature’, BIAG recommends Wildlife to the Governor as the primary sub-theme for the next series of banknotes.

Action:
Banknote Analysis, Strategy and Engagement (BASE) team to draft a note to be shared with the Governor setting out BIAG’s recommended theme, sub-theme and approach to the next stage.

Action:
BSD and BASE to consider how all four nations can be represented on the next series of notes in the light of the chosen theme and sub-theme, or whether wildlife that was present across the UK would be unifying.

Action:
BSD to also consider how best to represent wildlife across the four denominations e.g. focus on a specific category of wildlife (e.g. mammals) across all four banknote denominations, or a different category of wildlife (mammal, bird, etc) on each banknote.

Item 4 – Options for image selection

Members considered the key principles underpinning the banknote imagery selection process and weighed up the benefits and risks associated with different options for image selection. Members agreed that the Bank should consult the public again on which images should feature on Series H banknotes to depict the chosen sub-theme. This will help to ensure that the chosen images resonate with the public.

The Group also discussed how the Bank can work with subject matter experts to provide technical expertise to inform the Bank’s decision-making. Members agreed that the Bank should work with experts ahead of a public consultation to help BIAG create a longlist for the public to choose from.

The Group also discussed the timeline for the second consultation and when the chosen theme should be announced to keep the public informed, i.e. when the second consultation is launched or if an interim announcement is needed to keep the public informed, which could be take place by end-2026.

Decision:
The Bank should recruit wildlife experts with subject matter expertise and broad credibility to serve as advisors to BIAG and to help create a longlist of potential images.

Decision:
The Bank should subsequently run another public consultation to seek the public’s input on images.

Action:
BASE to propose a list of external wildlife experts to the Chief Cashier.

Action:
BASE to engage with the Communications Directorate to explore options for the theme announcement and timeline for consultation launch to be considered by the Communications Steering Group.

Item 5 – Next steps

BIAG’s recommendations will be presented to the Governor, and staff will begin planning for the next stage of imagery selection.

Attendees

Members

Victoria Cleland (Chair)
PRA Senior Advisor
Katie Martin - Head of Stakeholder & Media Engagement Nick McLaren - Head of Future of Money Rhys Phillips - Governor’s Private Secretary Jen Small - Head of Notes Operations Sebastian Walsh – Secretary to the Bank Senior Manager, Banknote Security & Design

Apologies

Project Manager, Banknote Innovation Programme

Observers and presenters

Senior Manager, Banknote Analysis, Strategy & Engagement Deputy Head of Legal Policy Advisor, Banknote Analysis, Strategy & Engagement Lead Policy Analyst, Banknote Analysis, Strategy & Engagement Policy Advisor, Banknote Analysis, Strategy & Engagement Senior Programme Manager, Banknote Innovation Programme Lead Policy Analyst, Banknote Analysis, Strategy & Engagement

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