Long queues outside banks in Singapore for SG50 commemorative notes

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People queueing up for the commemorative notes at POSB's Tampines Central branch on Aug 20, 2015. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
People queueing up for the SG50 commemorative notes at POSB's Tampines Central branch on Aug 20, 2015. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Members of the public queueing up for the commemorative notes at POSB's Tampines Central branch on Aug 20, 2015. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

SINGAPORE - Queues formed outside banks on Thursday (Aug 20) morning as Singaporeans flocked to exchange their currency notes for the new commemorative SG50 ones.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launched the set of six notes - comprising one $50 note and five $10 polymer notes of different designs - on Tuesday.

Student Philson Poon, 25, told The Straits Times that he skipped breakfast to start queueing outside POSB's Tampines Central branch at 7.30am.

He had to wait in line for two hours but praised POSB for providing free coffee to those in the queue.

Singaporeans are given priority to exchange the notes from Aug 20 to Sept 30. The notes will be available to non-Singaporeans from Oct 1.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore said 20 million pieces of $50 notes and 75 million pieces of $10 notes - 15 million pieces of each design - will be printed.

A poster informing customers of the estimated waiting time at the POSB branch in Toa Payoh on Aug 20, 2015. ST PHOTO: DANSON CHEONG

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