After a senior official at Pakistan's central bank said in late August they were considering phasing out the 10-rupee banknote, social media posts shared a bogus graphic falsely claiming the decision had already been made and people had until the end of September to exchange their money. The bank has "categorically refuted" the claim, calling it "baseless". The graphic contained several design inconsistencies as compared with an official notice from the State Bank of Pakistan and the 10-rupee banknote remains in circulation as of September 15, 2026.
"The Government of Pakistan has decided to discontinue the 10-rupee note," says part of the Urdu-language caption of a Facebook graphic shared on September 4, 2026.
"September 30 has been set as the deadline for exchanging the notes. Everyone should get their notes exchanged before the specified date."
The graphic supposedly shows a notice issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) bearing what appears to be the central bank's logo.
It claims the decision was made because the 10-rupee banknote ($36 cents) is no longer widely used, its printing and maintenance are costly, and to promote digital payments and modernise the currency system.
The same graphic was also shared in similar Facebook and X posts after local media reported that the SBP's Deputy Governor Dr Inayat Hussain had told the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on August 25 that the central bank was considering phasing out the 10-rupee banknote because of rising printing costs (archived here and here ).
"I am wondering how will a shopkeeper give us 30 rupees in change if the 10-rupee note is banned?" read a comment on one of the posts, while another said: "This should not be done."
According to the media reports, Hussain said denomination changes could follow the introduction of new currency notes.
The central bank has not already publicly announced it is removing the 10-rupee banknote nor has it set a deadline for people to exchange existing notes, contrary to the claims being spread online.
The posts repeat earlier baseless claims that circulated on Facebook and X posts at the end of August, which said the SBP had announced it would "discontinue the 10-rupee currency note effective September 1st".
SBP provided a statement to AFP on September 17 saying it "categorically refutes" the claims about the discontinuation of the 10-rupee banknote, calling them "baseless".
The central bank said it has submitted a proposal for the introduction of a new banknote series, which is being considered by the Federal Cabinet.
"The matter remains under deliberation, and no decision has been taken regarding the replacement or discontinuation of any denomination," it said.
It added that any decision would be communicated through official channels and adequate time given for the public to exchange discontinued banknotes.
AFP also found no announcements or notices on these platforms about the SBP phasing out the 10-rupee note or anything resembling the graphic circulating on social media.
A comparison of the circulating graphic and the SBP's official logo and name in Urdu found several inconsistencies in the design and words used , reinforcing the belief the graphic is a fabrication ( archived link ).
AFP previously debunked a similar claim about Pakistan supposedly banning the 5,000-rupee banknote.
This article has been updated to include comments from the State Bank of Pakistan
