May 7, 2013. A new five-euro bill was put into circulation on May 2. The bill retained the old design with the antique arch, but it grew brighter and was given additional forging-prevention features. For example, the digit 5 that indicates the value of the banknote turned from grey to emerald green; besides, a protective thread and a relief print were added, SKB-Bank reports.

Yet the main difference is that you can see the water mark and a hologram with a portrait of the mythical princess Europe on it on the bill. The entire series of the new banknotes was named after the princess: larger and smaller new-design bills will be put into circulation in the next few years. The current, ‘old’ bills, will be used on a par with the newer ones for the next decade. After that they will be gradually taken out of circulation, even though the Eurozone banks will still have to exchange the old bills without any restrictions for the customers.

‘Interestingly enough, the European Central Bank is particularly conscious to point out that the authenticity of the new banknotes can be determined with no special equipment and through some very simple steps like ‘touch, look, and turn’. You can touch the banknote and feel the reliefs, hold it against the light and look at the water mark, and notice the change in the colors of the hologram when you turn the banknote under different angles,’ says SKB-Bank’s Operational Department Director Larissa Larionova.