Clydesdale Bank facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Clydesdale Bank

The headquarters of Clydesdale Bank on St Vincent Place, Glasgow
Type	Trading name
Industry	Banking, Financial services
Founded	2 March 1838 (1838-03-02) May 1838 (official opening)
Headquarters	Glasgow , Scotland
Key people	James Pettigrew (Chairman) David Duffy (Chief Executive Officer)
Services	Retail banking SME banking
Revenue	See Parent company
Operating income	See Parent company
Net income	See Parent company
Total assets	See Parent company
Number of employees	See Parent company
Parent	Clydesdale Bank plc

Clydesdale Bank (Scottish Gaelic: Banca Dhail Chluaidh) is a well-known bank in Scotland. It's a part of Clydesdale Bank plc and handles everyday banking for people and businesses.

In 2018, it was announced that the company owning Clydesdale Bank, called CYBG, would buy Virgin Money. This big change meant that the Clydesdale Bank name, along with Yorkshire Bank and B, would slowly be replaced by the Virgin Money brand. Even though the name is changing, Clydesdale Bank still operates and issues banknotes under its banking licence.

History of Clydesdale Bank

Clydesdale Bank was started in 1838. It has been an important part of Scottish banking for a very long time.

Scottish Banknotes

In Scotland, some banks, like Clydesdale Bank, are allowed to print their own banknotes. This is different from England and Wales, where only the Bank of England prints money. Even with the changes to the Clydesdale Bank brand, Virgin Money plans to keep issuing banknotes with the Clydesdale name.

Why Scottish Banks Print Money

For a long time, many banks in Great Britain and Ireland could print their own money. This changed in England and Wales, where the Bank of England became the only issuer. But in Scotland and Northern Ireland, banks kept this special right. Today, Clydesdale Bank, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and Bank of Scotland still print their own banknotes.

Current Banknote Designs (2009)

The banknotes Clydesdale Bank uses today were first released in 2009. Each note features a famous Scot on the front. The back of each note shows one of Scotland's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Older Banknote Designs

Before the 2009 series, Clydesdale Bank notes featured other important Scottish figures:

• A £5 note showed Robert Burns.
• The £10 note featured Mary Slessor, a missionary.
• The £20 note had Robert the Bruce.
• The £50 note showed Adam Smith, a famous economist.
• The £100 note featured Lord Kelvin, a scientist.

Adam Smith is special because he has appeared on banknotes from two different British banks. He was also the first Scot to be on a Bank of England banknote.

Special Commemorative Banknotes

Sometimes, Clydesdale Bank creates special banknotes to celebrate important events or people. These are called commemorative notes. They are often collected and don't stay in circulation for long. Some examples include:

• A £5 note in 1996 for Robert Burns' poetry.
• A £10 note in 1997 for Mary Slessor's work.
• A £20 note in 1997 for a big meeting in Edinburgh.
• A £20 note in 1999 for Glasgow being the UK City of Architecture and Design. This note featured architect Alexander "Greek" Thomson.
• A £20 note to mark 700 years since Robert the Bruce became king.
• A £10 note in 2006 for the bank's support of the Scottish Commonwealth Games team.
• A £5 note in 2015 for the 125th anniversary of the Forth Bridge. This note was special because it was made of plastic!

Plastic Banknotes

In March 2015, Clydesdale Bank was the first bank in Great Britain to issue plastic banknotes. The £5 notes for the Forth Bridge anniversary were made of a special polymer material. This makes them more durable and harder to fake.

While these were the first plastic notes in Great Britain, some banks in Northern Ireland had issued plastic notes earlier. The Bank of England also started using plastic £5 notes in 2016.

Clydesdale Bank and the Commonwealth Games

In 2005, Clydesdale Bank became an official partner of the Scottish Commonwealth Games Team. This was for the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia. The bank also released special £10 notes with a Commonwealth Games theme to celebrate the event.

See also

In Spanish: Banco Clydesdale para niños