Nicaragua's shift to polymer for this denomination was part of a broader Central American push toward substrate modernization in the 2010s, driven largely by durability concerns in humid tropical climates where cotton-paper notes deteriorate rapidly in circulation. The Banco Central contracted polymer production through this period with a relatively modest print run spread across several years — under 2 million notes annually on average, which kept supply tight relative to demand for a denomination this size.
The OVD placement on this series was a point of some debate during the redesign process, as earlier Nicaraguan issues had relied heavily on intaglio tactile features that polymer printing complicates.
Nicaragua's shift to polymer for this denomination was part of a broader Central American push toward substrate modernization in the 2010s, driven largely by durability concerns in humid tropical climates where cotton-paper notes deteriorate rapidly in circulation. The Banco Central contracted polymer production through this period with a relatively modest print run spread across several years — under 2 million notes annually on average, which kept supply tight relative to demand for a denomination this size.
The OVD placement on this series was a point of some debate during the redesign process, as earlier Nicaraguan issues had relied heavily on intaglio tactile features that polymer printing complicates.