Banknotes of Zimbabwe

Banknotes of Zimbabwe
Banknotes of the third Zimbabwean dollar
Banknotes of the third Zimbabwean dollar, from $1 to $100 trillion
ISO 4217
CodesZWD, ZWN, ZWR, ZWL[a]
First Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD)
Denominations
  • $2 to $1000 (banknotes)
  • $5000 to $100000 (bearer cheques)
Second Zimbabwean dollar (ZWN)
Equal to1000 ZWD
Denominations
  • 1¢ to $500 million (bearer cheques)
  • $5 billion to $100 billion (agro-cheques)
Third Zimbabwean dollar (ZWR)
Equal to1010 ZWN, 1013 ZWD
Denominations$1 to $100 trillion
Fourth Zimbabwean dollar (ZWL)
Equal to1012 ZWR, 1022 ZWN, 1025 ZWD
Denominations$1 to $500
Issuance
CountryZimbabwe
Issuers

The banknotes of Zimbabwe were physical forms of Zimbabwe's first four incarnations of the dollar ($ or Z$), from 1980 to 2009. The banknotes of the first dollar replaced those of the Rhodesian dollar at par in 1981, one year after the proclamation of independence.[2] The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe issued most of the banknotes and other types of currency notes in its history, including the bearer cheques and special agro-cheques ("agro" being short for agricultural) that circulated between 15 September 2003 and 31 December 2008: the Standard Chartered Bank also issued their own emergency cheques from 2003 to 2004.

The obverse of Zimbabwean banknotes (including notes of the current dollar) featured an illustration of the Domboremari, one of the Chiremba Balancing Rocks located near Harare and Epworth: the Domboremari also appeared on bearer and agro-cheques, as part of the Reserve Bank's logo.[3] The reverse often featured the culture or landmarks of the country.

The second dollar (ZWN) was replaced on 1 August 2008 by the third dollar (ZWR),[4][5] which was then phased out by the fourth dollar (ZWL) with short notice on 2 February 2009 because it rapidly lost value.[6] The economic and trade sanctions imposed against the Zimbabwean government and the Reserve Bank made it difficult to incorporate modern security features on most banknotes issued since September 2008.

The power-sharing government of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai suspended the Zimbabwean dollar on 12 April 2009, and banknotes of the third and fourth dollars were demonetised in September 2015, after over 6 years of disuse.[7][8] However, the Reserve Bank reintroduced local banknotes the following year, due to a shortage of hard currencies such as the United States dollar.[9]

  1. ^ ISO 4217 MA Secretariat (6 February 2009). "ISO 4217 Amendment Number 144" (PDF). SIX Interbank Clearing. London: British Standards Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference intro was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Vumbunu, Tonderai; Offat Manyanhaire, Itai (2010). "Tourisits [sic] arrivals at Chiremba Balancing Rocks in Epworth, Zimbabwe". Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa. 12 (8). Clarion: Clarion University of Pennsylvania: 245. ISSN 1520-5509.
  4. ^ "Zimbabwe to revalue its currency", BBC News, 30 July 2008, retrieved 30 July 2008
  5. ^ Gono, Gideon (30 July 2008), Half-year Monetary Policy Statement (PDF), Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, pp. 9–10, archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2008, retrieved 7 August 2008
  6. ^ "Zimbabwe dollar sheds 12 zeros", BBC News, 2 February 2009, retrieved 2 February 2008
  7. ^ "Zimbabwe dollar 'not back soon'". BBC News. London: BBC. 12 April 2009. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  8. ^ Mangudya, John (11 June 2015). "Press Statement: Demonetisation of the Zimbabwe Dollar" (PDF). Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Harare. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  9. ^ Musvanhiri, Privilege (28 November 2016). "Zimbabwe introduces 'bond notes'". DW.com. Bonn: Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2022.


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