Over the course of 2021, the Bundesbank will begin issuing coated €20 banknotes, according to remarks made by the Bundesbank Executive Board member responsible for cash, Johannes Beermann, to the German news agency “Deutsche Presse-Agentur” (dpa). The coating is intended to extend the life of the banknotes. “Longer banknote lifespans mean savings in terms of production costs and resources,” said Mr Beermann, noting that coated banknotes felt somewhat smoother than uncoated ones, but that the differences were virtually undetectable to the naked eye. The coated €20 banknotes will gradually replace the older, uncoated ones. Irrespective of this, the existing €20 banknotes can continue to be used as before to make payments; they do not have to be exchanged for new ones. The €5 and €10 banknotes of the second series of euro banknotes (known as the Europa series), which has been gradually brought into circulation since 2013, are already coated with a special varnish.