The new €20 banknote will start circulating across Ireland and the euro area from today.
 
The note is the third in the ‘Europa series’ of banknotes. It is the same size and is similar in appearance to the existing note, but has a number of new security features.  

These features are also present on the Europa Series €5 and €10, and can be easily checked using the ‘Feel, Look and Tilt’ method.
 
The new €20 has an additional security feature, known as the portrait window. When you look at the banknote against the light, the window near the top of the hologram becomes transparent and reveals a portrait of Europa, and rainbow-coloured lines, on both sides of the note.
 
Euro banknotes and coins have been in circulation since January 2002. The total number of €20 banknotes in circulation in the euro area was 3.2 billion as at end-October 2015. 18.1 billion banknotes were in circulation with a €1,053.8 billion face value (as at end-October 2015). The total net issuance of €20 banknotes in Ireland at end-October 2015 was 21.7 million banknotes. 
 
Source: www.businessworld.ie