ECB refused bills of 500 euros

The European Central Bank decided to stop printing € 500 banknotes, the regulator’s press service reports .

The issuance of banknotes will be stopped by the end of 2018, when the banknotes of the Europa series with a face value of € 100 and € 200 will be put into circulation. The ECB made such a decision due to the concern that the bill with the dignity of € 500 is suspicious of its authenticity. At the same time, the bills will remain a legal payment tool.

According to ECB statistics, over the past three months, the number of these bills decreased by almost 20 million copies - from 614 to 594 million banknotes. Thus, the regulator has already removed € 500 by € 10 billion from the banknote circulation.