The Bank of England has begun rolling out plastic £5 (US$6.59) notes across the UK. The new fiver is made from polymer, a flexible plastic material, and features Sir Winston Churchill. “The new fiver is the first of the Bank of England’s new series of polymer notes, with the £10 (US$13.17) and £20 (US$26.34) notes to be replaced with polymer designs over the coming years,” the BofE says. Paper £5 notes will cease to be legal tender in May 2017.
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This brings us one step closer to the day when paper will have only the symbolic value of clay tablets. Can RFID chips in currency be far behind?