Rs 10 Banknote Still Valid Despite Viral Claims of Discontinuation

Social media claims that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has discontinued the Rs 10 banknote from September 1, 2026 are false.

A viral post circulating on Facebook claimed that the State Bank had issued a notification ending the use of the Rs 10 currency note from September 1.

However, the Rs 10 banknote remains legal tender in Pakistan, and no official SBP notification has been issued announcing its withdrawal from September 1, 2026.

Fact Check

The claim emerged amid reports about Pakistan's plans to introduce a new series of banknotes.

On August 25, 2026, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue received a briefing from an SBP deputy governor regarding the proposed new banknote series.

According to an official Senate press release, the introduction of the new banknotes could take approximately one year. The briefing, however, did not state that the Rs 10 banknote would be discontinued from September 1.

Several media reports subsequently reported that SBP had proposed discontinuing the Rs 10 denomination because of its production cost.

The reports described the move as a proposal or recommendation, rather than an immediate withdrawal of the existing Rs 10 banknote.

SBP Has Not Announced September 1 Withdrawal

The SBP's official currency information portal continues to list the Rs 10 banknote among the denominations recognised as current legal tender in Pakistan.

A review of SBP's published circulars also found no notification stating that the current Rs 10 banknote would cease to be legal tender from September 1, 2026.

Under the State Bank of Pakistan Act, a banknote ceases to be legal tender only after the required government notification is issued specifying the date from which the note will no longer be valid.

No such notification withdrawing the current Rs 10 banknote from September 1, 2026 was found.

Existing Notes Will Remain in Circulation

SBP had previously explained that the introduction of a new banknote series would not immediately make the existing notes invalid.

According to an SBP press release issued in January 2024, the existing banknote series would remain in circulation after the new notes are introduced and would be withdrawn gradually once sufficient quantities of the new notes become available.

This means that even if the Rs 10 denomination is eventually phased out, it would not automatically become invalid on September 1 without an official withdrawal process.

Viral Claim

The false claim was shared on Facebook on August 30, 2026, with Urdu text stating that the State Bank had issued a notification discontinuing the Rs 10 currency note from September 1.

The post received hundreds of reactions and was subsequently repeated by other social media accounts.

The claim appears to have confused reports about a possible future discontinuation of the Rs 10 denomination with an immediate decision to withdraw the note from circulation.

Conclusion

The claim that the State Bank of Pakistan discontinued the Rs 10 banknote from September 1, 2026 is false.

SBP has not issued an official notification withdrawing the current Rs 10 banknote. Although the central bank has reportedly considered phasing out the denomination as part of future banknote reforms, the Rs 10 note remains legal tender in Pakistan.