Claim: Pictures show new Pakistani banknotes scheduled to be released in 2026 after the Cabinet’s approval.
Fact: The pictures actually show submissions from an art competition that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) hosted in 2024. While the new designs have been submitted to the Cabinet for approval, they have not been released or shared publicly.
On 16 and 17 May 2026, various Facebook pages posted images of what they claimed were new Pakistani currency notes. The visuals were shared alongside headlines stating that the country’s central bank had finalised the fresh designs and sent them to the Cabinet for approval.
SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad has confirmed that designs for the new banknotes were shared with the Cabinet for approval after being finalised, Dawn reported, adding that the update was shared in a meeting with the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (KCCI) members.
The same was reported by Profit and The Express Tribune. Therefore, this article only fact-checks the images of the new banknotes in the claim.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched the purported new Pakistani banknotes that were included in the social media posts but found them to be inauthentic.
The designs have not been released by the SBP, which issues updates on its social media accounts, WhatsApp channel, and official website.
They are, in fact, the winning submissions from a competition that the central bank hosted two years ago. Those results are available in a press release issued 5 September 2024.
The banknote on the far-right in the first and second posts, however, is a design that was submitted to the same art competition but was not among the winners; it can be seen in the visual below. It, too, went viral as an authentic currency note back in July 2025, but the claims were debunked by Soch Fact Check.
Pakistan’s current legal tender — the banknotes presently in circulation — can be found here.
Soch Fact Check has previously debunked multiple similar claims about Pakistani banknotes.
Virality
Soch Fact Check found the claim circulating on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Conclusion: The pictures actually show submissions from an art competition that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) hosted in 2024. While the new designs have been submitted to the Cabinet for approval, they have not been released or shared publicly.
Background image in cover photo: StateBankPakistan
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