GENEVA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced on Tuesday that the new 200 Swiss franc banknotes (CHF 200), the latest in a new series that "showcase Switzerland's scientific expertise", will go into circulation on Aug. 22.
The new series includes CHF 50, CHF 20 and CHF 10 notes that are already in circulation, as well as CHF 100 and CHF 1,000 notes that will be released in 2019. The overall theme is "the many faces of Switzerland" and each note is based on a different concept: time, light, wind, water, matter and language.
The SNB said the new series are using 15 security features to prevent forgery such as an opaque Swiss cross, a globe that changes color depending on light conditions and a security strip.
The new series was first introduced in 2016 with the new CHF50 notes, 20 years after the last Swiss banknote series was issued.
"On the front side, there are all these little arrows that show the zones and various directions of the wind," said designer Manuela Pfrunder, who also revealed that the bill also has a micro-text list of Switzerland's 4,000-meter peaks that are best viewed with a magnifying glass.
The SNB had decided to keep CHF 1,000 notes as "it's used a great deal in Switzerland as a means of payment," despite "fears that it could be used for criminal purposes".
