Burundian franc
Worldwide use:
- Burundi
Description:
The Burundian Franc is the official currency of Burundi. One Franc is worth 100 Centimes. Burundian coins come in 1, 5, 10 and 50 Francs. Banknotes are issued in 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10000 Francs. Burundian Centime coins are not issued in Burundi due to their low value, but Centime coins were used previously when the Belgian Congo Franc was the currency prior to 1964.
During 1964 and 1965, the old Rwanda and Burundi Franc banknotes were overprinted with the word "Burundi" diagonally across them. This was until the Burundi bank issued new ones. Also, the word "Kingdom" changed to "Republic" on 20 Franc banknotes in 1966.
Origin:
The Belgian Congo Franc originated in Burundi in 1916. This took the place of the German East African Rupie following the Belgian occupation. The Belgian Francs stayed in use until 1960 when the Rwanda and Burundi Franc was circulated and then the Burundi Franc was established in 1964. It is likely that the new East African Shilling will replace the Burundian Franc by 2015 so that there is a common currency between the five East African Community member states.
Component units:
- Centime (100)
Date introduced:
- 1964
Central bank:
- Banque de la Republique du Burudi (Ibanki ya Republika Y'UBurundi)
Printer:
Mint:
