15 Euros Jüri Jaakson

Jüri Jaakson served as the long-term governor of Eesti Pank and, crucially, was the official who oversaw the bank's gold and currency reserves during the Soviet occupation — reserves that were kept frozen in Western banks for fifty years rather than surrendered. The Bank of England and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York both refused Soviet demands to hand over Estonian assets, a quiet act of non-recognition that directly enabled Estonia's monetary restoration in 1992.

This issue is part of Estonia's ongoing series honoring figures central to that restoration.