Cuba’s new 5,000-peso banknote, a blue note that shows Celia Sánchez, a fighter of the Cuban Revolution, is among 13 nominees for the International Banknote Society’s Banknote of 2026 award. It is a nomination, not a win, and it arrives while Cubans pay ever higher prices.

The 5,000-peso note equals about US$5.50 at the informal rate, the street price set by private buyers and sellers rather than the state, which stood at roughly 910 pesos per US$ on 4 November 2026. For US readers with family on the island, or who plan to travel or send money, the note is a concrete measure of how far the peso has fallen.

What the Nomination Means

The International Banknote Society, a collectors’ association known as the IBNS, lists nominations for banknotes that enter circulation in 2026 and invites those with artistic merit, imaginative design and new security features. Its page lists Cuba’s 5,000-peso note beside notes from Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Honduras, Oman, the Solomon Islands, Nepal and Paraguay, among others.

Nominations stay open until 31 January 2027, and members send them in by email. No winner has been chosen.

File photo, undated. The National Capitol and the Great Theatre in Havana, Cuba. Photo: fragandaphoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What the Note Looks Like

Cuba’s Central Bank lists the issue date as 26 March 2026. The note measures 150 by 70 millimetres, is mainly blue and carries a portrait of Celia Sánchez Manduley, a guerrilla fighter of the Cuban Revolution who worked closely with Fidel Castro, the revolution’s leader, from 1957 until her death in 1980.

The back shows the Celia Sánchez memorial in Havana’s Lenin Park. Security features include a thread that reads BCC, for Banco Central de Cuba, and 5000, a watermark of her portrait, microprinting and a Braille code for blind users.

Prices and Pay in Cuba

Cuba’s statistics office, known as ONEI, reported annual inflation of 28.44% for September 2026 and a cumulative rise of 24.85% since January. The average monthly wage was 7,354 pesos in August, so one 5,000-peso note equals about two thirds of a month’s pay.

That wage is about US$8 at the informal rate. For more on the price squeeze, see our reports on September inflation and on who runs Cuba’s economy.

File photo, May 2014. People queue outside a shop on Obispo Street in Old Havana. Photo: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What It Means for You

Travellers and relatives should expect prices in pesos to keep rising faster than wages, so the exchange rate they use matters more than the face value of a note. The informal rate was about 910 pesos per US$ on 4 November, according to an independent site that tracks street rates.

Collectors can follow the IBNS page for the final list after 31 January 2027. For wider context on the island’s policy, read our Cuba coverage.

What Is Not Known

The nominator is not public, and we found no published figure for how many 5,000-peso notes are in circulation. The official exchange rate for the day was also not published in the reports we read, so the US$ values here use the informal rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has Cuba’s 5,000-peso note won an award?

No. It is one of 13 nominees for the International Banknote Society’s Banknote of 2026 award, and nominations close on 31 January 2027.

Who is on Cuba’s 5,000-peso note?

The note shows Celia Sánchez Manduley, a guerrilla fighter of the Cuban Revolution who lived from 1920 to 1980. The back shows her memorial in Havana’s Lenin Park.

How much is 5,000 Cuban pesos in US dollars?

About US$5.50 at the informal market rate of roughly 910 pesos per US$ on 4 November 2026. The rate moves daily and the official rate is different.

Sources: International Banknote Society, Banknote of 2026 nominations, read 10 November 2026 · Central Bank of Cuba, 5,000-peso note, series 2026.