* They ended up with vaults full of them because domestic banks didn't want them. I understand this was the fate of a fair amount of US 50-cent and $1 coins: they migrated to 'dollarized' economies like Ecuador.
* They figure they're being helpful-- the $20 note is the most common in US cash commerce, and the $50 is very uncommon, so they figured giving people a note worth about $20 is convenient.
When I've ordered notes from the bank, they usually loaded up with the largest notes (lots of CAD100 or GBP50 notes) with just 100 or 200 units divided into smaller notes.
* They ended up with vaults full of them because domestic banks didn't want them. I understand this was the fate of a fair amount of US 50-cent and $1 coins: they migrated to 'dollarized' economies like Ecuador.
* They figure they're being helpful-- the $20 note is the most common in US cash commerce, and the $50 is very uncommon, so they figured giving people a note worth about $20 is convenient.
When I've ordered notes from the bank, they usually loaded up with the largest notes (lots of CAD100 or GBP50 notes) with just 100 or 200 units divided into smaller notes.