RBI Updates Rs 100, Rs 500 Currency Notes To Stop Counterfeiting

There is Big change coming B in Rs. 100, Rs. 500 notes as despite the increasing digital payments, cash still plays a vital role in rural areas and for small businesses.

What To Expect In Upgraded Rs. 100 and Rs. 500 Notes?

Basically, the key changes are expected to come for Rs. 100 and Rs. 500 notes mostly to enhance the security features.

With the help of these new security features,  they are expecting to stop fake notes and make them last longer, helping people spot real ones.

If you are wondering about the old notes, they will remain valid and the quality of the Rs. 100 & Rs. 500 notes is improving.

In the case of the Rs. 100 note, its design is not changing completely, but we can expect better print, ink, and paper quality.

Besides this, it’s more durable, and the watermark and security thread are clearer.

Making Detection Of Counterfeit Notes Easy

The latest upgrade will help in spotting the fake notes, especially in rural areas. It appears that the Rs. 500 note’s security is stronger as microprinting, color, and design details are improved to fight counterfeiting.

In its update, the Reserve Bank of India said that the basic design is the same.

Meanwhile, the old and new notes will work at ATMs and banks without issues as this change is for public welfare and currency security, according to the officials.

Cash Is Back In Trend

It seems that the cash is back in trend, even as UPI transactions are also increasing.

Now, more people are withdrawing and using cash for transactions in FY2026 than a year ago.

The same is reflected in the data from a recent report by SBI Research.

• For the fortnight ended January 31, 2026, the cash or currency in circulation (CIC) reached an all-time high.

• While witnessing a YoY growth of 11%, the currency worth around ₹40 lakh crore was in circulation by January end. The YoY increase in the last year was 5.3%.

• Witnessing a YoY increase of 11.5%, the currency with public (CWP), which constitutes 97.6% of the CiC, reached an all-time high of ₹39 lakh crore for the fortnight ended January 31, 2026, vis-a-vis 5.4% YoY last year.

• The CWP increased by ₹2.79 lakh crore (7.6%) during Apr 2025 to 31 Jan 2026 on YTD basis. It is much higher compared to last year’s YTD growth of only ₹93,326 crore (2.7%) during the corresponding period.

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