FX.co ★ Lithuania gets euro bills in preparations for euro adoption

Lithuania will officially start using the single European currency on January 1, 2015. It received the necessary volume of euro banknotes to change the national currency. 132 million banknotes weighing 114 tonnes were delivered to the Bank of Lithuania’s vaults. “The operation was completed safely and successfully. The euro banknotes are already being distributed from the Bank of Lithuania’s vaults in Vilnius and Kaunas to commercial banks, from where they will continue their journey to trade and service enterprises and, finally, early next year they will reach the pockets of the country’s population,” said Vitas Vasiliauskas, Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania. Euros were borrowed from Germany’s Bundesbank. According to the agreement, the banknotes are to be returned in two years. The money was delivered to Lithuania in three consignments. The first one arrived in Vilnius on October 23, and the last one on November 12. The euro coins with national symbols of the country are minted by the Lithuanian Mint.