From today, the Deutsche Bundesbank will be issuing €10 banknotes of the second euro banknote series. Following the introduction of the €5 note last year, the €10 note is now the second denomination of the new “Europa” series to be brought into circulation in Germany. The second banknote series is named after Europa, a figure from Greek mythology, a portrait of whom has been incorporated into the security features of the banknote. "The €10 banknote is now even more secure owing to a range of new and improved security features, such as the emerald number, the portrait watermark and the portrait hologram. This will offer even greater protection against counterfeiting," said Carl-Ludwig Thiele, Bundesbank Executive Board member responsible for cash management.

The Bundesbank will be issuing the new notes to credit institutions, which will, in turn, pay them out to their customers via cash machines and over the counter. Customers will then use them for purchasing consumer goods. This will ensure that the new banknotes are gradually introduced into the cash cycle.

Banknotes from the first and second series will circulate in parallel for a time. "The €10 banknotes of the first series will retain their validity and can be exchanged at face value at the Bundesbank or any other Eurosystem national central bank for an unlimited period of time," Thiele said. Further denominations of the "Europa" series will be phased in over the next few years.