Curacao & Sint Maarten
Marine life links Curaçao and Sint Maarten on their shared banknotes, while island landmarks give the Caribbean guilder two distinct shores within one monetary identity.
2025 | Caribbean Guilder Series
Design & Visual Identity
The 2025 banknotes begin beneath the sea. A gray angelfish anchors the yellow 10-guilder note, while spotted eagle rays cross the blue 20. The higher denominations introduce a green sea turtle, a stoplight parrotfish and longsnout seahorses. Each animal belongs to a coordinated marine theme rather than a separate national series.
Turning the notes changes the direction of reading: horizontal underwater compositions give way to vertical views of the islands. Klein Curaçao Lighthouse appears on the 10 and Simpson Bay Lagoon on the 20. Grote Knip Beach, Sint Maarten’s Courthouse and Queen Emma Bridge extend the geographical range across the remaining denominations.
The contrast gives the series its character. Marine subjects suggest the waters shared by the two countries; recognisable places on the reverse retain the particular identity of each island.
Historical & Cultural Context
Curaçao and Sint Maarten became autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 10 October 2010. They retained a monetary union and a common central bank, even though the Netherlands Antilles had ceased to exist as a political entity.
The Netherlands Antillean guilder continued in use until the introduction of the Caribbean guilder on 31 March 2025. Both currencies circulated during a three-month transition, after which the older currency ceased to be legal tender on 1 July 2025.
The new series therefore marks a monetary change that followed the constitutional reorganisation by almost fifteen years. Its shared designs belong to both countries, not to two parallel national banknote families.
For Collectors
For collectors, the inaugural Caribbean guilder family offers a five-denomination set: 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200. The common underwater theme connects the group, while the reverse views provide a second collecting route through Caribbean coastal and architectural subjects.
These notes should be distinguished from the earlier Netherlands Antillean issues. Their shared guilder name does not make them the same currency, and a note acquired in Curaçao is not a separate national variety from the identical type obtained in Sint Maarten.
The printed Dutch denomination, gulden, is compatible with the English currency name, guilder. Catalogue attribution should follow the actual issue rather than treating the two words as different monetary units.
Quick Facts
Currency: Caribbean Guilder