diff --git a/doc/release-notes/release-notes-26.1.md b/doc/release-notes/release-notes-26.1.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b5c6e630071
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/release-notes/release-notes-26.1.md
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+26.1 Release Notes
+==================
+
+Bitcoin Core version 26.1 is now available from:
+
+  <https://bitcoincore.org/bin/bitcoin-core-26.1/>
+
+This release includes various bug fixes and performance
+improvements, as well as updated translations.
+
+Please report bugs using the issue tracker at GitHub:
+
+  <https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues>
+
+To receive security and update notifications, please subscribe to:
+
+  <https://bitcoincore.org/en/list/announcements/join/>
+
+How to Upgrade
+==============
+
+If you are running an older version, shut it down. Wait until it has completely
+shut down (which might take a few minutes in some cases), then run the
+installer (on Windows) or just copy over `/Applications/Bitcoin-Qt` (on macOS)
+or `bitcoind`/`bitcoin-qt` (on Linux).
+
+Upgrading directly from a version of Bitcoin Core that has reached its EOL is
+possible, but it might take some time if the data directory needs to be migrated. Old
+wallet versions of Bitcoin Core are generally supported.
+
+Compatibility
+==============
+
+Bitcoin Core is supported and extensively tested on operating systems
+using the Linux kernel, macOS 11.0+, and Windows 7 and newer.  Bitcoin
+Core should also work on most other Unix-like systems but is not as
+frequently tested on them.  It is not recommended to use Bitcoin Core on
+unsupported systems.
+
+Notable changes
+===============
+
+### Wallet
+
+- #28994 wallet: skip BnB when SFFO is enabled
+- #28920 wallet: birth time update during tx scanning
+- #29176 wallet: Fix use-after-free in WalletBatch::EraseRecords
+- #29510 wallet: getrawchangeaddress and getnewaddress failures should not affect keypools for descriptor wallets
+
+### RPC
+
+- #29003 rpc: fix getrawtransaction segfault
+- #28784 rpc: keep .cookie file if it was not generated
+
+### Logs
+
+- #29227 log mempool loading progress
+
+### P2P and network changes
+
+- #29200 net: create I2P sessions using both ECIES-X25519 and ElGamal encryption
+- #29412 p2p: Don't process mutated blocks
+- #29524 p2p: Don't consider blocks mutated if they don't connect to known prev block
+
+### Build
+
+- #29127 Use hardened runtime on macOS release builds.
+- #29195 build: Fix -Xclang -internal-isystem option
+
+### CI
+
+- #28992 ci: Use Ubuntu 24.04 Noble for asan,tsan,tidy,fuzz
+- #29080 ci: Set HOMEBREW_NO_INSTALLED_DEPENDENTS_CHECK to avoid unrelated failures
+- #29610 ci: Fix "macOS native" job
+
+### Miscellaneous
+
+- #28391 refactor: Simplify CTxMempool/BlockAssembler fields, remove some external mapTx access
+- #29179 test: wallet rescan with reorged parent + IsFromMe child in mempool
+- #28791 snapshots: don't core dump when running -checkblockindex after loadtxoutset
+- #29357 test: Drop x modifier in fsbridge::fopen call for MinGW builds
+- #29529 fuzz: restrict fopencookie usage to Linux & FreeBSD
+
+Credits
+=======
+
+Thanks to everyone who directly contributed to this release:
+
+- dergoegge
+- fanquake
+- furszy
+- glozow
+- Greg Sanders
+- Hennadii Stepanov
+- Jon Atack
+- MarcoFalke
+- Mark Friedenbach
+- Martin Zumsande
+- Murch
+- Roman Zeyde
+- stickies-v
+- UdjinM6
+
+As well as to everyone that helped with translations on
+[Transifex](https://www.transifex.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/).
+