The National Bank of Ukraine has decided to change the typography of the new 2,000-hryvnia banknote. This decision was made following sharp criticism from the Ukrainian design community, which saw a stylistic resemblance in the denomination inscription to a font of Russian origin.
Associations with the "aggressor state"
Regulators acknowledged that, although there were no legal violations, the mere fact of the design evoking associations with the work of a citizen of the aggressor state is unacceptable. NBU Head Andriy Pyshny emphasized that the portrait of poet Vasyl Stus represents the conscience of the nation, and the banknote must be impeccable.
"We will not enter into graphological debates – the National Bank has a license and there are no legal issues here. But for us, there are value questions. When the inscription on the banknote with Stus is associated with the work of a citizen of the aggressor state – the mere fact of such an association is enough. No Russian shadows on the banknote with the poet whom Russia killed," stated Andriy Pyshny.
Technical details and rebuttals
The NBU reported that it analyzed the comments from designers who pointed out the resemblance to an unofficial Cyrillic adaptation of a font of Russian origin. The bank emphasized that the use of third-party font packages during the creation of the banknote did not take place. The National Bank's artists work in a special secure software environment where all graphic elements are drawn manually based on licensed fonts with subsequent authorial refinement.
Nevertheless, the decision has been made: the denomination inscription will be executed in accordance with the official Cyrillic version of the Bickham Script font without authorial variations.
History of the font conflict
One of the designers who publicly drew attention to the problem was Bohdan Hdal. He recalled that similar claims had already arisen in 2019 following the release of the 1,000-hryvnia banknote. According to Hdal, at that time, together with font designer Andriy Shevchenko, they contacted Adobe with a request regarding the origin of the Cyrillic version of the font.
Adobe stated that until 2016, an official Cyrillic version of Bickham Script did not exist, and the license does not allow third parties to create and distribute modified versions of the font. Following the situation with the 1,000-hryvnia banknote, the National Bank claimed to have verified the information and promised to hold a banknote design competition to avoid similar situations in the future.
Release schedule remains unchanged
The National Bank noted that the banknote has not yet been launched into production, so the change in design will not affect its release schedule. The new note, as planned, will enter circulation on September 4, 2026.
