Earlier quoted context omitted.
what?
Nobody will accept a €500 note in Europe - not even banks - you have to get it changed at a central bank, and you can expect a lot of questions, like “what kind of drugs did you sell to get this?” An easier option if you have one, is going to a forex office in Vietnam or somewhere - and even then they may not take it. I was lumbered with a couple of them for a few years, until I dumped them in Uruguay.
That's weird. Can't think of a legal basis that would allow the bank to refuse it. They have machines that verify it's not counterfeit after all. People regularly pay for used cars with cash here, and I've never heard of anyone refusing a 500€ note.