South African Reserve Bank launches museum to expand public engagement and financial literacy

The South African Reserve Bank has launched the SARB Museum alongside the completion of renovations to its head office campus in Pretoria, positioning the museum as a public-facing space to explain the central bank’s role and strengthen transparency and accountability. The bank framed the project as a way to improve public understanding of monetary policy, financial stability and payments, while opening the institution more directly to the people it serves. The museum includes a dedicated school outreach programme linked to the SARB’s Monetary Policy Committee Schools Challenge, with a focus on financial and economic literacy and careers in economics and central banking. Its exhibitions trace South Africa’s economic heritage from early forms of exchange to the central bank’s establishment in 1921 and its role in democratic South Africa. The collection includes archaeological items dating back 75,000 years, a numismatic collection spanning more than 300 years and South Africa’s first minting press from 1891. It also features two art galleries, rotating exhibitions drawn from more than 1,200 artworks and permanent installations by Esther Mahlangu, Helen Sebidi and Mary Sibande. The museum will first host events for staff and stakeholders before opening to the public. The launch also coincides with the start of a 2026 education-themed commemorative coin series, beginning with a new R2 circulation coin marking 50 years since the 1976 Youth Uprising. Further releases are planned for August, with an R2 coin for the 125th anniversary of Charlotte Maxeke’s graduation, and later another R2 coin on the constitutional right to education alongside a R5 tribute coin combining all three themes.