500-euro notes will disappear soon. Germany and Austria — the last two countries in the euro zone to still print these high-denomination European banknotes — stopped printing them on Friday.
The decision to cease the production of 500 € banknotes was taken by the European Central Bank (ECB) in 2016 to fight against terrorism financing, counterfeiting and money laundering.
Apart from Germany and Austria, euro-zone countries ceased their printing on 26 January. The existing 500 € notes will still be legal and can be exchanged indefinitely.
The Brussells Times