The Bank of England has confirmed that the next series of British banknotes will feature native UK wildlife — marking the first time animals have appeared on the nation's currency in over half a century. The decision follows a public consultation in which 44,000 people responded, with 'nature' emerging as the most popular theme by a clear margin.
It is a genuinely unusual moment in the quiet life of central banking: the institution responsible for monetary policy asking the British public what they want to look at when they pull a fiver from their wallet — and the public replying, resoundingly, with animals.
**How It Happened**
In July 2025, the Bank of England launched a public consultation to determine the theme for the next banknote series. With the transition to King Charles III's portrait already underway, the Bank took the opportunity to rethink what appears alongside the monarch on the reverse side of the notes.
More than 44,000 people submitted their views. When the votes were counted, nature and wildlife emerged as the dominant preference, significantly ahead of historical figures, achievements, and landmarks.
The Bank's announcement in March 2026 confirmed the result: native UK wildlife will feature on the next series of banknotes. A second public consultation, planned for summer 2026, will invite people to suggest which specific species they want to see, with a panel of wildlife experts helping to compile a shortlist.
**The First Time in Over 50 Years**
British banknotes have featured historical figures — scientists, writers, politicians, composers — since the 1970s. Charles Darwin, Jane Austen, Winston Churchill, Florence Nightingale, Alan Turing: the backs of British banknotes have functioned as a rotating portrait gallery of great Britons.
Replacing that tradition with wildlife represents a meaningful change in what the nation chooses to celebrate and carry in its pockets. It signals that the British public, when given the choice, wanted to see the natural world — not the world of human achievement — as the backdrop to their daily transactions.
**Which Animals Might Make the Cut?**
The Bank has not yet named specific species — that comes after the summer 2026 consultation. But the range of possibilities is rich. Native UK wildlife includes red squirrels, red kites, barn owls, water voles, Atlantic puffins, harbour seals, mountain hares, otters, peregrine falcons — and the recently reintroduced beaver and white-tailed eagle.
Some species on that list have come back from the brink within living memory. Red kites, once reduced to a handful of breeding pairs in Wales, now wheel over much of England and Scotland. White-tailed eagles, extinct in Britain for over a century, are now breeding from Scotland to the south of England. A banknote could carry a conservation success story in your pocket.
The Bank has specified that household pets will not be considered. The notes are intended to celebrate wild, native species.
**A Cultural Signal**
There is something quietly significant about a society deciding that animals deserve a place on its currency. Banknotes are a statement of national values — what a country considers important enough to put on the things it uses most frequently. For a century and a half, Britain chose scientists and statesmen. In 2026, it chose otters.
For conservationists, the decision is a welcome signal. Research consistently shows that people are more likely to care about and support conservation efforts for species they recognise and feel connected to. If every transaction in the UK carries an image of a native animal, that connection may deepen.
King Charles III's portrait will continue to appear on the new banknotes — alongside wildlife that his namesake's conservation legacy helped protect. The new series is expected to enter circulation in a few years, after the summer 2026 consultation determines which species make the final shortlist. 🦦
*Sources: Bank of England, Bank of England News (March 2026), public consultation results (July 2025)*
